


Destiny Chosen

by BabyKate006



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Multiple Selves, Parallel Universes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2015-02-03
Packaged: 2018-03-03 09:58:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2846900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyKate006/pseuds/BabyKate006
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set directly after the end of 4a. Parallel Universes<br/>Getting drunk and making wishes is not the best idea, as Emma and Regina are painfully reminded of when they find themselves without their magic in a realm similar to Enchanted Forest, yet still different. In order to return home they must track down their counterparts from this world and hope that one of them is not in full Evil Queen mode. <br/>Also on FFnet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Non-native speaker without a beta. You have been warned.

It’s after the sixth drink that the idea first presents itself. Emma is feeling the effects of alcohol, that pleasant buzzing in her head that has her reasoning impaired just enough to consider even mentioning it as a joke is a good idea. They’ve both been on a high after finding the author’s house; Regina was ecstatic at the possibilities that presented and Emma…Emma was just happy to be a step closer to fulfilling her promise of getting Regina her happy ending. So after they grab a quick dinner and Henry runs off to play his new game – _it’s the new Dragon Age, moms, and don’t you think I’ve earned some extra play time today –_ they don’t really discuss it, just move to Regina’s study to continue where they left off at Granny’s. Emma thinks that she should maybe call Hook, but he’s been through a lot, and could probably use some time to recuperate on his own, plus, honestly, she could use an evening for herself after all the craziness of the past months. So now they are drinking and chatting about various unrelated small things, it’s relaxed and surprisingly unguarded for two people with walls and issues of their magnitude, separately and between them, and Emma is truly enjoying herself. She is occasionally rewarded with one of Regina’s very rare unguarded smiles, the ones which light up her entire face, and Emma is feeling warm and happy, and so proud of where they are, after the bumpy ride their relationship has been. She doesn’t mention any of it out loud, of course, because she knows Regina. She starts talking about happiness and friendship and suddenly she is Miss Swan, or even worse, The Savior – _how she manages to make the title sound like a curse word I’ll never understand –_ again, so she just enjoys the newfound closeness. It’s the desire to see that smile again that makes Emma mention it, and regret it almost instantaneously.

“Why don’t we try and find you a different happy ending, one that comes with no strings attached?”

The startled look Regina gives her makes her cringe immediately, wishing she actually still had some kind of a filter left between her brain and her mouth. “Excuse me?”

Now that it’s out there there’s no going back - _in for a penny in for a pound as they say –_ so Emma bravely continues. “Well, it could be so much easier. He can’t be the only happy ending out there for you. All we have to do is look for an alternative…” _And it sounds even more stupid when I say it out loud,_ she thinks, but there is really no way out of this but to try and push forward so she continues. “Maybe somebody from your past, or somebody completely ne-”

“Robin is not a toy you can replace when it gets lost! He is my soulmate, Miss Swan!”

 _And there it is._ “I know I just thought… You know what, never mind.” She knows it’s her own fault but she is still hurt by the hostility coming off in waves from Regina and by the bloody _Miss Swan_ and it’s making unexpected thoughts run through her fuzzy mind, the thoughts of _you didn’t know him all that well anyhow, what for a few weeks, and suddenly you, the definition of not trusting anybody were giving him your heart, literally, and it just makes no sense_ , except that she knows this is a fairytale world with fairytale rules and it kind of does… She is still smart enough to not actually voice any of that out loud. The atmosphere is suddenly charged, and they barely speak for a few beats, but just as Emma thinks she messed up and pushed them two steps back effectively ending the evening, Regina pours them another drink, and mentions Rumple as if nothing was said. They are talking again, the hostility gone and Emma is so happy to be out of the dog house, and wants to build a monument to alcohol, because if Regina was sober, she is sure she would not be given this out.

It’s after the eight drink that Regina comes back to the topic, and Emma is drunk enough by then not to mind or fear where the discussion will go.

“I don’t want another happy ending, I love Robin. But for the sake of discussion, hypothetically, let’s say we could do it. What exactly did you have in mind?”

Regina is looking at her expectantly, and Emma wishes she actually thought this through a bit, but it’s just a hypothetical anyhow, so what the hell. “Honestly? I have no idea. But think about it, there has to be something in this town that fulfills wishes. So much magic around…and we are due, Regina, we are due one fuc…” Regina raises an amused eyebrow at her and she stops herself mid word. “We are due one wish with no consequences, don’t you think?”

Both are drunk enough by that time to actually believe for a moment in a possibility of magic wishes with no side effects, so Regina just nods her head contemplating the idea. And suddenly, the hypothetical plan is getting discussed in between fits of laughter.

By the drink number ten their plan is very detailed yet completely nonsensical. They are trying to figure out if they could tailor it to eliminate every annoying habit, every undesirable feature _– the beard might look sexy, dear, but kissing somebody with it has some not so good aftereffects – I know! Boy, do I know! -_ and they are laughing again.

As they have their twelfth drink, Regina poofs them to Gold’s shop, well, as close as her drunken sense of direction will allow her, and they are clumsily breaking in the door. There is fumbling and loud cursing and “I thought you were good at this kind of thing Miss...Emma” and she redoubles her efforts because she **is** good at this and many thing, and for some reason she wants Regina to know it. If only she could finally hit the correct lock of the three she is seeing, they’d be in. Finally she gets the right one and the door is budging as they slip inside, giggling like two teenagers happy to finally have a make out spot away from prying eyes.

Only once inside, they are not really sure what to do. They look around, but nothing stands out. They’ve both been in this shop enough times to know that if there is something of value in here, it will sure not be in the front, so they move to the back room, clumsily knocking over several items on their way. The back is not much help either, since they keep picking up stuff, their drunken minds not really recognizing any of it. It’s been almost half an hour, and now Regina is pouting – _and since when does Regina even pout -_ and Emma feels like she failed her again, which will not do, so she renews her searching efforts. In the end it’s her clumsiness that gives them what they are looking for. She trips on a nonexistent floor bump – _there was something there, I am telling you -_ and as she is trying to hold onto something, anything, she grabs the first thing in reach, a heavy book on a shelf, and opens a hidden compartment.

They both look amazed at the new wealth just presenting itself to them, and then they start giggling and shushing each other simultaneously, because, yes, that is what is going to be the thing to alarm whomever could be around.

There’s one item that immediately gets both theirs attention. “Is that what I think it is?”

Regina nods her head in affirmative, but still voices it, not certain she believes it either. “It’s a fairy’s wand.” She sways a bit as she picks it up, running her hand over it and Emma is thinking that such a simple gesture should not look so obscene but then Regina is gasping and her attention, or what there is of it, is back on her face. “This is Blue’s wand!”

“Wow, really? Are you sure?”

“I think… It looks like it. But it can’t be…right? We’d know if Blue’s wand was stolen, right?”

“Maybe she’d be too embarrassed to say anything. Or she is being blackmailed! Or they are having an affair and Blue gave Gold…” And yes, that is one of the stupidest things she has ever said, Regina doesn’t have to look at her like she is a complete idiot to rub it in. Maybe that last glass was not such a good idea after all. So she clears her throat and gets back to the issue at hand.

“Well, whether it’s hers or one that looks like it, the point is, what does it do?”

“It can grant wishes. “

“If that’s the case, why didn’t Gold use it?”

They both look at the wand as if expecting it to start talking and explain itself, but after nothing happens, Regina lets out a small frustrated growl and tries to offer an explanation herself.

“I’ll assume he needed light magic, something even he can’t conjure up.” Her eyes are suddenly shining with understanding, and Emma looks at her confused, but then, finally her brain catches up.

“We have that!”

“Yes, Emma, yes we do.”

Regina is looking back from the wand to Emma and back to the wand and that smile is back, that beautiful smile, and Emma isn’t really thinking about why it makes her so pleased that she is directly responsible for it, but it does, judging by the new warmth in her chest, so it takes her a few moments to wrap her head around the next thing Regina says.

“Okay, now what?”

“What do you mean, now what? I thought you’d know? You are the big sorcre…sour…you’re the one with the magic knowledge here!”

“Yes, but my experience with light magic is very limited. That’s more of your domain.”

She wants to argue the point, but nothing coherent is really forming in her head, so she simply decides to go with it. “Oh, hell, give it here.”

Emma looks the wand up and down, as if considering her options, then just shrugs her shoulders. “Hold onto this end.” They are both holding it now, and Regina is looking at her expectantly, and this has got to work because as much as she likes being responsible for Regina’s smiles, she hates being responsible for her disappointments even more. The old Marian related guilt resurfaces, and she is determined more than ever to make this work.

She grabs Regina’s free hand in her own, and putting all the training and advice she got behind this, she focuses at the wand. “Okay, now, just imagine yourself happy.”

Regina is imagining, and there are glimpses in Emma’s mind, she is remembering Daniel, and holding Henry for the first time, and the hug they all shared as a family after Neverland…and suddenly there is blue smoky swirl forming between them, coming partly from the wand, and partly from their joint hands. They both look up in fascination, amazed that it’s working, and Emma gives Regina the cockiest smile – _who is the magiker now, lady, and yes I know it’s not the real word but I don’t care_.

As the swirl becomes bigger and bigger it starts to envelop them both, and they start to feel the pull towards something. As they start to lose footing, both seem to sober up significantly, and Emma finally starts realizing that what they are doing? Not such a good idea after all. The look on Regina’s face is panicked and Emma holds her hand tighter and tries to pull both of them out of it…somewhere, anywhere where they’ll actually feel the ground again. She doesn’t want to admit it, but even in her drunken stupor she is aware it’s too late. The blue smoke envelops them both, and all there is left is darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

The mind numbing headache is the first thing she becomes aware of. It feels like somebody is sticking nails in the back of her skull, and the only thing Regina can find to be grateful for is the fact she is lying on something soft. Which, to be honest, lasts no longer then 10 seconds before she opens her eyes as much as the pain will allow, and finds that the soft surface is one Emma Swan, sprawled under her, her breasts serving as a nice pillow. Headache all but forgotten Regina jumps up immediately, waking the blond in the process, and then slumping against the nearby tree as the pain hits her again full force. She takes a few deep breaths trying to steady her now very upset stomach, and then finally looks around to take in their surroundings. There are trees and dirt and birds and none of it makes any sense, and if she could only peace together some of the scrambled memories from last night… She dares to look down at the blonde, and it’s obvious that the other woman is in the same predicament as she is. Emma has gotten herself into a seated position, but that seems to have taken almost all out of her, and she is holding her face in her hands, groaning repeatedly. She looks haggard, and Regina can only imagine what she herself looks like if how she feels is any indication.

She makes one more visual sweep of their current location, her confused mind still not making any sense of any of it. “What happened to us?”

It takes her a few seconds, but Emma finally manages a croaked “I think we drank too much…”

“Besides the obvious, preferably.” Emma throws her an irritated look at the comment, and this is good, this is familiar ground, and in all the uncertainty right now, she needs all the familiar she can get.

Emma manages to get up finally, and swaying a bit she takes in her surroundings, her confusion obviously growing. “Where are we? This doesn’t look like the forest in Storybrooke.”

“No, it doesn’t. I know Storybrooke, this is not it. I don’t suppose your phone is on you?”

Emma pats her pockets and then shakes her head in the negative wincing at the surge of pain that produces, and Regina sighs because she knew that would have been too easy. And then suddenly it’s there. Flashes of drinking, and laughing, and wishing go through her mind in rapid succession, and now she is remembering bits and pieces, and panicking and _no, no, no…_ “We…we…the wish…and…”

She can see recognition dawn on Emma’s face, and they share panicked look. “We wished ourselves somewhere…didn’t we? But how? And where?” Headache comes back full force as she realizes just how much trouble they might be in. Her first instinct is to send them back home with magic and pretend nothing happened, and for a split second she manages to convince herself that it’s going to work, she’ll be able to do it and this will just turn into a fun anecdote between them. But then she is closing her eyes, and trying, and nothing is happening. Her magic is not working. She can feel it, but it’s different, and no matter what she does, she can’t get it to work. It feels like there is a different signature to it, and she can’t really make out what it says.

She turns to Emma, renewed worry in her eyes. “Is your magic working?”

Emma is looking at her confused, not sure where that came from, and obviously still trying to find her footing in the whole situation, so she asks again, this time more forcefully. “Emma, is your magic working?”

She can see Emma’s face scrunch in concentration as she tries to do something, but whatever that something is she will not find out, since nothing happens. Now Emma is even more confused, and she is looking at her for answers, and it’s getting to be too much. She can assume, that’s all she can do, and the uncertainty of it all is starting to weigh heavily on her. She still tries to say it out loud, more for herself then for Emma – _you are the savior, you should know what to do, not look so scared and lost -_ just to sort her thoughts.

“We are not home. We are not in Storybrooke, nor in Maine. And judging by the way my magic is reacting, we are not in any of the realms I have been to so far, so Enchanted Forrest is out as well.”

“Okay, slow down. How would you know that? And w-“

But she doesn’t let her finish, because now she is panicking and angry, and she doesn’t know what to do. ”Henry is alone in the house! And we are…who knows where!”

She looks at Emma accusingly, and she can see the blond take in a long breath, as if trying to physically calm herself down. “Okay, we did something last night we shouldn’t have, but we can’t panic now. Let’s calm down and think about this logically.”

“Really, Miss Swan, because I was just thinking that the illogical approach would be the way to go.”

“Don’t you _Miss Swan_ me, Regina, this is as much your fault as it is mine!”

“It wasn’t my brilliant idea to go looking for wish granting! I know the cost of magic; I’ve felt it on my skin enough times to stay away from playing with it like that!” And she really hopes that this is true, because she honestly can’t remember whose idea it was, but it is so much easier to blame Emma. The anger is something she knows well, it’s a constant in her life, something very familiar, and clinging to it is the only thing keeping her from completely losing it right this moment. And then she sees it. She sees the exact moment the recognition dawns on Emma’s face, and instead of fighting her on this, she clamps her mouth shut and pulls back. Regina is not sure whether to resent her or be grateful, because she really wants to stay angry, but she is giving her this, she is taking the blame, and how can she stay mad when Emma is being so frustratingly considerate and accommodating once again.

“Okay, Regina, what can we do to undo whatever it was w…I did?”

She takes a deep breath, tries to ignore the pounding in her head and finally concentrates on the problem at hand. “How much do you remember of last night? Maybe if we knew a bit more of what really happened…”

Emma looks down at her feet sheepishly, kicking an errand pebble and Regina almost finds the move cute. _Almost_. “I don’t really remember that much. Last night I went way over my usual limit… It was…I was having fun, Regina. More than I have in a long while. I thought you were as well.”

Now she is looking at her with those pleading eyes waiting for conformation, and Regina can’t really understand why she can’t bring herself to deny it outright, to lie and keep things simple and the way they are used to. And how she got from being so angry to considering how to spare the blonde’s feelings within a minute is a mystery to her. With a heavy sigh, she acquiesces. “Yes, well, considering the circumstances, I think it’s safe to say that the two of us and fun don’t mix all that well.” Her tone is soft as she says it, and Emma’s smile is both relieved and sad, and damn it, she really hates that now she apparently cares about the other woman’s feelings enough that it creates a knot in her stomach. Things were so much simpler when she hated all the Charmings, that’s for sure. No confusing feelings then. Distracting herself from that line of thought, she tries to remember as much as she can.  

“Here’s what I can recall. We were joking about wishing for a happy ending, and I think we went to Gold’s shop at one point. The only other thing that comes back to me is a blue swirl rising around us, so I am assuming that we did find something an-“

“The wand!”

“The what?”

Emma is excited and is animatedly explaining, and there’s a glimmer of hope rising in Regina as she listens. “We found a fairy’s wand at Gold’s. I remember. That’s what we used. Maybe if we can find it, we can go back, right?”

In theory, yes, they could, if they had their magic. But they don’t, at least not in the way they know how to use. But it’s a start, and now they both concentrate on searching their immediate surroundings for any trace of the wand in question. A few moments pass in silence, and at first she is not sure she even heard the “Oh”, but she looks at Emma anyway and sees her holding something in her hands.

“Did you find it?”

There is no immediate answer, and now she is annoyed and is moving towards her, but Emma turns around and holds up two pieces of wood in her hands. Two pieces which obviously made up one wand not so long ago.

“I didn’t know this was possible?” Emma is asking in a small voice, and Regina doesn’t know what to tell her.

“I guess in our realm, it probably wouldn’t be. But if our magic is different here…wherever here is…the rules are probably different as well.”

She takes one part of the wand from Emma trying to will her magic to interact with it, but it’s not working. She can feel frustration start to overwhelm her, but she refuses to let it get the better of her this time. She turns to Emma who is still looking at the part of the wand remaining in her hand. “There isn’t much we can do until we determine where we are. We need to start moving.”

Emma’s attention is back on her now, and she seems grateful that Regina is the one taking charge of the situation. “Yes, but which way?”

Looking around, Regina makes a quick decision. “Let’s assume that we have a better chance of running into people – and fewer dangerous animals – if we go downhill. That’s the best I can think of.”

Emma nods her head, and taking half of the wand back from Regina and storing both parts safely in her jeans pocket, she starts walking in the general direction Regina pointed out. “Works for me.”

They are walking in silence, each lost in their thoughts, trying not to think about what will happen if they managed to transport themselves too far off from any settlement. Regina is trying hard to remember as much of the previous night as she can, hoping something will give her some hint of where they are, but most of it is too foggy to really make much sense of it.  _This is what happens when I lets go, when I enjoy myself too much…_ At that thought she nearly stops in her tracks, causing Emma to turn and look at her questioningly. She just shakes her head to indicate it’s nothing, and continues walking, still thinking about last night. If she is being completely honest with herself, she **was** enjoying herself, immensely. Even to the point that she allowed herself to completely let go, to drink enough to lose any semblance of control of herself, her words or actions. She takes a peak at the blonde, wondering how in the world she allowed herself to be put in such a vulnerable position with Emma of all people. It simply made no sense, she didn’t even like the woman all that much, not to mention trust her. _Right?_ Brow furrowed in confusion and deep thought, she nearly lets out a startled squeak as she feels Emma pull her back and motion for her to be quiet. She follows Emma’s line of sight to see they have manage to run into a road, on one side of which is a horse-drawn cart holding a family of four as they are eating. She shares a look of relief with Emma, both recognizing that finding a road this quickly is the one thing that went their way in this whole mess. Her attention back to the people in the cart, Regina considers the scene, including their clothing, coming to the conclusion that wherever they are, it is much more like the Enchanted Forrest than Maine.

“What do you want to do now?”

Regina bites her lip for a moment mulling their options, but she quickly realizes that they don’t really have all that many. “We don’t have too many choices here. We have to talk to somebody and try and find out where we are. This seems as good as it will get in the way of non-threatening strangers.”

Emma nods her head, obviously already having come to the same conclusion. Slowly they move from their hiding spot, making their way towards the family. It takes a few moments for anybody to notice them, and Regina clears her throat and starts to say something when the man jumps up, recognition shining in his eyes. He jumps from his cart and takes two steps towards them, and just as Emma is pushing her behind her as she prepares to block whatever move the man is planning – _and damn her, why does she have to be so bloody protective all the time -_ he drops down to one knee in front of them. He is followed by his wife and two daughters, all three bowing deeply as they say in unison “My Queen.”

Regina and Emma look at each other, realizing in tandem that wherever they are, it just might turn out to be a much more dangerous place than they ever assumed.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma is well aware that this isn’t the best place or time for philosophical inner musings, but even so she can’t stop herself from wondering if it is possible for a person to be haunted by a ghost of somebody else’s past. Because that is exactly how she is feeling right now, standing in front of Regina as people bow to the brunet, obviously mistaking her for the Queen who belongs to this world. She already faced the Evil Queen of the Enchanted Forrest **and** the Evil Queen of re-cursed Storybrook – _and really, how much fun would it be to go maybe a full month without a new curse being cast on the poor town_ \- and shouldn’t that have filled some kind of a quota? After all, she is probably the one person who always made a clear distinction between who Regina is now, and who she used to be a lifetime ago, so she truly does not need a regular reminder of who the woman used to be. With a sigh she takes a glance at Regina, and can see the other woman is visibly shaken. And suddenly she is feeling like a complete ass, because if she thinks this is difficult for her, she can only imagine how it affects Regina, the woman who has worked so hard to overcome her past, and is now going to come face to face with it once again. Realizing that now they’ve been in the same position for what is considered more than appropriate by any standard, Emma puts a gentle hand on Regina’s arm and gestures her head towards the family. It takes the brunet a few moments, but she finally manages to get out a croaked “Rise.”

They do, and Emma gives them a quick smile as she pulls Regina a few steps away. “We need a few moments, be right back with you.” She doesn’t care how strange their behavior might seem, this needs one on one conferring.

Before she manages to say anything, Regina is talking, anger and distress evident in her every word. “I don’t care what you are going to say, this is not Enchanted Forrest, I can guarantee that. I did not make a mistake, I’d know if we were back home.” She is staring Emma down as if daring her to disagree with what she said, and Emma is suddenly sad again, because she thought they were over this, over their first reactions being anger and perceived accusations.

Pushing her disappointment down, Emma responds. “Regina, it’s okay. I trust you, and that’s not what I was going to say. I just need us to figure out where else it could be, and how do we deal with it now? We can’t just…ignore the fact that people will recognize you wherever we go.”

Regina gives her a measuring look before nodding. It takes her a few moments before she speaks again. “It could be we were transported to a whole different dimension, not just realm.”

Emma gives her a questioning look, not really sure what the difference between the two would be, and Regina hurries to explain. “I think for your equivalent you’d need to think of it in the way of quantum mechanics, dimensions would equal parallel universes.”

Emma is not sure what confuses her more, the idea itself, or the fact Regina is talking about physics theories. “How do you even know about quantum mechanics?”

“It was a long and rather lonely 28 years, Emma. Now, do you really think that is the issue you should be concentrating on?”

Properly chastised, Emma focuses on the explanation, and pulling from her limited - and mostly TV provided - knowledge on the subject, she begins to form a picture. “So what, we are in a parallel realm? With all of the people we know, only…what, different?”

“That would be my guess, yes. That would also explain why I can feel my magic, but can’t really access it.”

Emma mulls this for a few moments. If what Regina is saying is true, then everything they know, or think they know, could be false. Which could be a bad thing, but also a good one, when you think about it. “So you are telling me you could be a benevolent ruler here?”

Regina looks at her in surprise, the thought obviously never having crossed her mind. Then she shakes her head as if physically rejecting the idea. “Hardly. I don’t think that much of a difference is realistic to expect.”

“Why not? Look at them, Regina. Do they look frightened to you?”

They both turn towards the family, and Emma is sure that even Regina can’t deny that what they are seeing is not the usual response to the Evil Queen. The parents are standing together looking at them expectantly, but neither has their eyes cast down and no fear is coming off of them, just a lot of excitement and curiosity. Girls are even less reserved and are giggling while stealing glances at the two of them, not even bothering to try and hide it properly.

“Hardly a reaction you’d expect to receive if you were evil, don’t you think?”

“Maybe they don’t know her all that well. Maybe they were lucky enough and have never met her, so they don’t know how to behave properly. They are peasants, after all, it’d be unrealistic to expect they’d know what’s good for them.”

Truly perplexed at why Regina is so vehemently denying the possibility, Emma is about to start arguing the point, but then it hits her. Regina is scared. It’s one thing to be confronted with your own past, the one you know. But what if this realm’s Regina managed to get everything Regina has always wanted, without giving in to her dark side? She suddenly understands perfectly why the brunet feels like she needs it not to be true. And there are so many things that Emma wants to tell her, reassure her, explain why she can’t compare her experiences with somebody else’s, but now is not the time. They will have that conversation, but right now they need to decide on their next move.

“Look, we can talk about this for hours and we will not be any closer to knowing the truth. Why don’t we keep up the charade, and get a ride to the nearest settlement? We’ll be able to get more information there, for sure, and maybe even start to form some kind of a plan of how to get back home.”

Regina looks of into distance for a moment and then just nods her head. Straightening her shoulders she moves towards the family in full Queen mode. “We need a ride to the nearest town; I am assuming you can accommodate us?”

Both wife and husband are visibly confused, but then the man recovers quickly. “Of course, Your Majesty! It will be our privilege. That is, if you are sure my humble cart will be adequate; I know you are used to different and more comfortable modes of transportation...”

Emma is wondering if he is thinking about the royal carriage or transporting themselves with magic, and is thinking about how to explain this, when Regina answers without a beat. “I am looking to get to know some of my subjects.”

The woman beams at this, her face glowing with excitement. “Of course, of course. We were on our way for the festivities anyhow, we’ll give you a ride right to your castle if you wish.”

“There’ll be no need, thank you, town gates will do.”

The woman nods knowingly. “Don’t want to be stuck in the crowd, I understand. Most of the kingdom will be there, after all.”

They both climb in the back of the cart, despite the wife being insistent on Regina taking her place up front. Emma knows the brunet didn’t refuse to be polite – _she has changed, that’s for sure, but not that much_ \- but so they could talk as they ride.

A few minutes pass in silence and then one of the girls, the older one who looks to be around fourteen, starts talking. “Is that the new fashion at the courts, Your Highness?”

It takes Emma a few moments to realize that she is addressing her, and after getting over the first shock that she is recognized as a Princess, she assumes, she quickly tries to come up with a reasonable explanation for hers and Regina’s attires. “Umm, yes, this was brought to our realm by some guests from a faraway land. It looked…comfortable, so we are trying it out.” She is stammering, and she can feel Regina’s look on her, almost can feel the word _idiot_ even if the brunet never actually voiced it. But the explanation was good enough to satisfy the girl’s curiosity, as she is now whispering something to her sister, never losing the smile.

Regina addresses the wife. “You said you were on the way to the festivities?”

“Yes, I know we are a little early, but we didn’t want to risk missing the big day. We would have never dreamed that we’d be riding with the Queen and the Princess themselves!”

_Big day? How exactly do they find out what the big day is when they are obviously supposed to know already?_

The question is answered without need for intervention when the younger girl, the one who looks to be around 10, scoots over to Regina and shyly offers her a daisy she’s been holding since the trip had started. “I’m going to be just like you when I grow up. I’ll decide on and marry my true love as well, no matter what everybody else says.”

Regina takes the flower and gives the girl a big smile and a soft “Thank you”, and Emma can’t stop herself before saying “It seems we made it just in time for your wedding, Your Majesty.”

Regina makes sure the girl’s attention is on something else before she shoots an aggravated look Emma’s way, and she is suddenly sorry for making light of situation. If the day in question is really Regina’s wedding day, then they will probably get to see her with Daniel or even Robin, and she can only imagine how much pain that will cause the woman sitting next to her, who lost every man she ever loved before ever getting to experience true happiness with them .

“I’m sorry.” She whispers sincerely, and Regina nods her head, obviously too tired to hold a grudge. “Hey, at least we seem to be friends here. They don’t seem to be surprised that we were walking the woods together. That’ll make things easier, don’t you think?”

Regina nods her head and then turns to answer something the man asked, and Emma tries to find some silver lining in all of this, and figures that in the end, at any rate they’ll see who it is that made her happy, at least in this reality. Maybe their wish will come true in a round-about way, and they’ll know there’s another option somewhere in the world.

After a few more minutes, Regina bumps her arm with her shoulder, gesturing at their surroundings. There is an excited note in her voice as she whispers. “This actually looks familiar.”

“It does?”

“Yes...this…this is my grandfather’s kingdom. My father’s father. I am sure, I know this place well.” Then she is looking back at Emma, as if looking for answers. “I don’t understand. How can I be a queen here, my father had four brothers ahead of him in line to the throne?”

“Your father did, but you told me yourself that while they might be similar, things are not the same here.”

Regina’s brow furrows as if contemplating all the possibilities, and once again Emma really wishes there was something she could do to relieve the worry obvious in her features. She realizes that no option is going to be easy for the brunet, and suddenly she feels a heavy weight on her chest, because this is her doing. This is her stupid idea, and her inability to hold her liquor, and her over eagerness to get the brunet to be her friend even if the other woman might not be there yet…might not ever be there, after this. And she hates that, because Emma has friends now, she has a family, and she is happy with them, she truly is, but still…every one of them sees her as something they need her to be, a mother, a daughter, a savior, this perfect image they built in their heads which she has to live up to, and Regina…Regina sees **her**. She understands her, knows that she is not perfect, knows the ways in which her past has molded her, and it’s around her that Emma can truly be herself, with no fear of disappointing or living down these ideas of her. And that’s why Emma needs her in her life, craves for Regina to be her friend, and now that overzealous desire might have ruined it all.

She is still deep in her thoughts when Regina makes a decision. “In our realm not too many people could help us out with what we need. I can’t know for sure that fairies or Rumple even have their magic here, but considering I can feel mine, we can assume that the Queen does. So the only thing we can do is try to locate her, and see if she’d be willing to help. And for the sake of that, I hope you are right in thinking she is not the Evil Queen.” She leans into Emma, as if trying to give additional weight to her words. “If there is one thing I can say with certainty, it’s that the Evil Queen would not help us. And you really don’t want to know what would most likely happen to us instead.”

Decision made, they ride the rest of the way in idle chit chat, mostly answering questions from the girls about court life. That being Regina’s field of expertise Emma lets her do most of the talking, and actually enjoys as she watches the older woman finally relax a little bit, her features softening as she is describing one of the first balls she snuck in when she was a kid – expertly avoiding giving any of the details which might not fit into the current realm. It’s a fun story and they are all laughing at the end, and Emma can’t help but feel warmth envelop her at being privy to this unguarded moment in which Regina actually looks happy for an instant. Time passes quickly, and as they approach the outskirts of the town, Regina asks the man to stop the cart. They thank them for the ride, and the whole family is beaming as they say their goodbyes, the young girl breaking all propriety and throwing her arms around Regina, pulling her into a long hug. The parents start to apologize but Regina just shakes her head with a smile, giving the girl a quick peck on the cheek before ending the hug. As they are about to leave, the woman turns to them once again adding “You’ll both be so happy, I am sure of it!”, and they are nodding back at her but it’s not really clear to Emma what she means by both. Not really dwelling on it, though, they wait for the cart to get out of sight before they start to move again.

Emma looks at Regina, and while the woman’s shoulders are not as tense as they were, she still looks exhausted. They never had a chance to really recover from the overdose of alcohol, and the whole stressful situation didn’t help all that much. At least Emma is in sensible shoes, while Regna’s heels look anything but comfortable to walk in on the dirt road. An idea forms in her mind, and she decides to bring it up, hoping the pride won’t cause Regina to turn it down outright.

“Look, why don’t we find a nice secluded spot for you sit and rest for a while, while I find us something to wear to bland in better?”

Regina looks at her surprised at the offer, but obviously not too quick to refuse. “Do you think it’s smart we separate?”

“I’ll be as quick as possible, and I am really good in finding my way around places. We are nearly in the city, and I am sure that even if we could hide who we are, these clothes would get us much unwanted attention.” She takes a detour from the road and spies a spot which has a tree stump perfect for sitting, and is secluded enough to be considered safe. “This looks okay. Just stay here and we’ll be okay. I am a Charming after all, even if I get lost, I’ll fi-“

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence!”

Emma gives her an affronted huff and turns around to leave, hiding the smile forming on her lips. _She is so easy._

She is gone for less than an hour, and is determined to ignore the warmth that spreads in her chest at the relief on Regina’s face when she sees her. It’s there only for a moment, though, and she can see the walls go up in an instant, a quick “took you long enough” taking them back to the more familiar territory. And Emma refuses to be disappointed, because her mood does not depend on Regina, she is not a masochist, and she’ll be damned if she’ll let it affect her. She forces a smile and tosses Regina few clothing items she found, keeping a pair of pants and a shirt for herself. She turns around and takes a few steps to give the other woman some privacy, simultaneously shedding her own clothes to put on the more appropriate attire. She is just buttoning her new pants satisfied that while not a perfect fit, they’ll stay on and will not have her trip due to being too long, when Regina shows up right behind her.

“Really, Emma? Really?! This is the only thing you could find for me?”

Emma turns around and immediately realizes the cause of the other woman’s indignation. The dress she got her is at best one size too small, and considering that it was rather revealing as it is in the cleavage department, this makes it look rather obscene. However, she’ll be damned if she’d let Regina know she finds the dress to be too much. It’s not as if she had a store to get to, and she didn’t even get a thank you for her trouble. “Oh, come on, Regina, I have seen your dresses from your time as the queen, you are not afraid of a little cleavage.”

The look Regina gives her makes even the famed savior take a step back. “Those were regal and not vulgar! And this is far from **a little** cleavage. This looks like it came from a brothel!”

Emma casts her eyes down guiltily, and as Regina gasps realizing what that means, the blonde prepares mentally for the next salvo.

“Brothel!? You got me a prostitute’s dress?”

Regina is furious and okay, Emma is willing to admit that that was not the best solution she could have come up with but it was quick and easy - _and she is scarred for life as it is by some of the things she saw as she was searching for the easy way to snatch some discarded clothes -_ and she’s just hoping that she looks sincere and remorseful enough when she apologizes. “Look, I am sorry. You wanted me to hurry, and I did. I saw an opportunity and I grabbed it. And look. There’s a shawl there. Just drape it over your…assets and we’ll be good.”

There’s a long pause before Regina sighs in resignation. “They are called breasts, Emma, we are not five.”

And Emma is scoffing at that, but in all honesty, she is really hoping Regna takes her advice sooner rather than later, because she keeps glancing at her breasts, and she’d rather not get caught. It’s not that she **wants** to look, not like she finds them attractive, they are just so…there. Heaving a sigh of relief when the older woman finally finishes dressing, Emma motions for her to lead.

They make their way towards the castle using back alleys and keeping their heads down in order to avoid anybody else recognizing them, and it’s not long before they are approaching their target.

They stop while they are still hidden from the guards’ view, Emma shifting nervously from one foot to the other. “So the plan is to just walk in?”

“Unless you have a better one…”

Emma really wishes she did have one, but the truth is that no, she does not. “How do you know the guards won’t stop us?”

“I can’t know for sure, but I can assume that even if the things are different here, a few will remain unchanged no matter what. The guards do not question their royalty; we just need to act like we belong there. They might find our attires strange, but they’ll rather just attach it to eccentricity of the rich and powerful than say something and risk getting thrown into prison or even get hanged for disobedience.”

Emma swallows at that but just nods her head and motions for Regina to lead the way. No matter her experiences in life she is a foreigner here, and relying on Regina’s instincts seems like the best – and only – course of action. And it soon proves to be a good decision, because except for a few curious looks all they get are a few “Your Majesty” and they walk inside the walls of the castle without any issues. Emma takes a few peaks at Regina as they are walking, and she can’t help but be impressed by the other woman. Despite her attire there is a regal air around her, a look of bored arrogance on her face and she is honestly not surprised at all that nobody suspects anything. The woman is a queen, after all. It’s also a bit surprising to find that she actually likes seeing Regina in this mode. It’s a reminder of when she was just the Sheriff and Regina was Madam Major she constantly clashed with and she suddenly starts as she realizes that for a moment she was missing some of those initial volatile interactions, and that is disconcerting enough that she forces her mind back to the task at hand, determined to ignore …whatever that was.

As they enter a big yard, Regina starts to lead them towards the building, only they don’t make it far before there is somebody running towards them, and she can feel arms grabbing her and pulling her back.

“Get away from her!” She is about to fight whomever it is, but then the voice registers, and she realizes it’s Regina…no, not Regina, the Queen who has now pushed her behind and is approaching Regina with determination. There is blue smoke coming out of the Queen’s raised hand and it’s snaking its way around Regina, lifting her up and angrily tightening around her, leaving the other woman gasping for breath. Even in this position she can see Regina give the Queen a defiant look, never taking her eyes of the woman, as if she is taunting her to continue, and Emma feels her own chest tightening at the sight. She jumps at the Queen from behind, trying to knock her down and distract her from the brunet before it’s too late. For a moment she succeeds, and Regina is dropped unceremoniously to the floor, and not a moment too late judging by the way she is hungrily getting air into her lungs. The Queen gets up effortlessly and turns to her and Emma is preparing for the worst, frantically looking for a place to duck from a fireball and considering if it is even possible to outrun a magic smoke attack - _damn it, she wishes she paid more attention to the theory parts of their magic training –_ but none of it comes. For some reason the Queen does not attack her back, she just looks at her in a way which makes Emma utterly uncomfortable and makes her actually wish the attack would come, because she could react to that, and break this really, really strange and uncomfortable moment.

The Queen extends a hand towards her, and as she pulls away, there’s sadness in royal woman’s eyes. “I don’t know what Rumpelstiltskin did this time, who that woman is, but it is not me. I am right here. Please don’t fall for…”

They hear a crash of something hitting the stone floor and all three woman turn to the entrance to see a shocked looking – _what Emma is assuming, since it’s really unnerving looking into her own face_ \- Princess Emma standing there, looking at the scene with utter confusion.

Emma sees the Princess take in the sight once more before making a decision and moving quickly towards the Queen, taking her hand and addressing her gently “Love?”

And suddenly it feels like the world is closing in on her, and no, she must have heard wrong, this is not possible, but it makes sense suddenly, the looks the Queen gave her, the protectiveness, the _you’ll both be so happy,_ and still she hopes she is wrong as she registers her own voice join Regina’s as they simultaneously repeat in sheer horror: “ **Love**?!”


	4. Chapter 4

_Is there such a thing as delayed hallucinations induced by alcohol poisoning?_ Right now, that is the only thing Regina can come up with as an explanation for what she is seeing, and to be honest, even that seems like a preferable alternative. Because this cannot be happening, there is no way she’d ever be looking at Emma the way her counterpart is looking at the Princess right now, or holding her hand in such a way, and certainly she would not be marrying the daughter of her once worst – _well, now a reluctant ally, but the point stands –_ enemy in any realm or dimension she can imagine. And yet, it is happening, and they will have to come to terms with it sooner rather than later, judging by the stare the Queen is giving them now that she pried her eyes away from the Princess again. And really, those looks they exchanged were just…too much, if you ask Regina, all sappy and concerned and yearning and she really wishes she could get rid of this feeling that there was something familiar in all of that, and no, she is just in shock and her mind is being silly and this will really not do.

Her thoughts are interrupted when The Queen makes a motion with her hand, blue smoke effectively picking up both Regina and Emma, suspending them in the air a few feet away from herself and the Princess. “Well, now, what do we have here?”

And Regina knows that voice. She is well familiar with it, she used it enough times when she wanted to instill fear in her subjects, and right now the irony of the situation is not escaping her. She knows everything pointed to this Queen being a good and kind ruler, but the fact that her taste in clothes is the same as Regina’s from her Evil Queen days combined with the anger resonating off the woman at this moment make Regina fear that they might have made a too hasty decision in coming here.

The Queen takes another step towards them before continuing, each word clipped and hard. “It is really interesting that not a week before the wedding a pair who looks just like us shows up at my castle. Do you take us for fools? I don’t know what it was that Rumpelstiltskin was thinking to achieve but-“

“Okay, I am sorry to interrupt you there, but let me just check on this. When you say wedding, you mean you are getting married to other people, right? It’s a double wedding kinda thing?”

Regina turns her head to the side, shocked by the blonde’s outburst - _she usually has more sense than this, despite being spawned by the two idiots_ \- and tries to get her attention and get her to stop talking before they are both crushed and Henry is left an orphan, but there is no stopping Emma. She makes a point of ignoring Regina as she turns her head to the Princess and continues without missing a beat. “Or maybe you are doing this to spite your parents, a mock wedding? Snow did something, right, and this is the best way to get back at her? I could understand that.”

Really nervous now, Regina tries again, working really hard to keep her words measured, despite the growing need to snap at the insolent blonde. “Emma, this is really not the time-“

But Emma does not even let her finish. “Really, Regina? Really? Not the time? We are getting married! You don’t see anything wrong with that picture?”

“I see plenty of wrong with it, Miss Swan, however, I think this is not the best place or time to be airing those issues, don’t you think?”

She pointedly gestures with her head at the smoke enveloping both their torsos, and it takes a few seconds but finally, finally it all seems to reach Emma and she seems to be snapping out from whatever trance she was in, and realizes the severity of their situation. Relieved that one emergency was sorted – _and really, she will have a long talk with Emma about her overreaction, the woman is dating Captain Guyliner of one outfit for goodness sake, she does not get to be the one throwing a fit at the situation which can only be marked as a major improvement for her –_ Regina focuses her attention back to their audience, but to her surprise, it seems that the little outburst has had a positive effect on their situation. Both the Queen and the Princess are now looking at them with interest and curiosity, rather than outright animosity, and that is certainly an improvement.

She sees the Princess whisper something to the Queen and after a few moments the woman starts talking again, this time interest winning over anger. “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

Thinking quickly about the easiest way to explain it while not sounding completely mad, Regina decides on direct approach. “We don’t belong to your world. We got transported here by mistake. When people recognized me as the Queen we realized that we were in a place mirroring our own, and since our magic is not working for us here, we decided to come here and ask for your help in attempting to get back home.”

Yes, that did not sound half as convincing or clear as she was hoping, judging by their faces, but before she can elaborate, Emma cuts in. “Look, we have a Rumpelstiltskin in our realm as well, and he made our lives a living hell more than once so I understand your renitence, but this is not his doing. We are not here to harm you in any way, we just really want to go home to our son.” She looks at the Princess before continuing. “You should know we are telling the truth. If we are really alike, you know when somebody is lying.”

Regina is blinking, more than a little impressed with Emma, thinking that if this works she might be able to forgive her previous lapse, and to both their relief it seems to do the trick. The Princess is looking at them, and there is kindness in her eyes as she nods and turns back to her partner. “They are being truthful, love, or at least they believe that what they are saying is true.” There is a pause as the Queen is thinking, obviously warring between whether to believe them or err on the side of caution – and Regina is really, really, hoping the later does not win out – but then the Princess takes her hand and she can barely hear _you know such places exist better than anybody_ and the Queen sighs heavily but she is nodding and slowly lowering them down, the smoke dissipating around them.

The Princess now approaches them with a smile, grasping both their arms and guiding them towards the entryway. “You look like you could use some food, and a bath and rest would not hurt either.” Regina is about to object, but the Princess continues. “However, if you are truly like us, I know you’ll want to try and find a solution to your problem as soon as possible, so we will combine the two and have a nice dinner while you explain to us just exactly what happened to you two.”

“Thank you.” That is about all Regina can manage to say as relief suddenly overwhelms her and there is a lump forming in her throat and no, she will not let emotions get the better of her, there’ll be time for that later, so she takes a few deep breaths forcing herself to calm down. She exchanges a quick look with Emma, both obviously grateful at the turn of events, and does her best to at least appear relaxed.

They make their way towards the dining hall followed by bemused looks from all the people they run into, and as Emma and the Princess get a few steps ahead, the Queen approaches Regina and leans in before whispering “Don’t make me regret this.” The Queen fixates her with her eyes, and Regina just nods her head solemnly, because she understands this kind of love, the kind you would kill for without thinking if threatened, knows that protectiveness well, and she can’t begrudge the woman this final warning.

Soon they are sated at the big table, and after a small incident with a dropped wine container by the poor serving girl who thought she was seeing double, there is food on the table and drinks in their glasses – _there’s some nausea at that_ , _and_ _just water for me please – yes, for me as well –_ and Regina is trying to figure out where exactly is Emma going to fit in everything she put on her plate. It’s enough that Emma can actually think about food after the amounts of alcohol they ingested during previous night – _has it really just been the previous night -_ but how can somebody eat that much and look so ho- fit, look so fit is beyond Regina.

As if reading her thoughts the Princess leans towards Regina, pushing a tray with cheese on it towards the brunet. “I know the food is probably the last thing on your mind, but it will be of no use to either of you if you collapse of hunger. You have to eat something if you are to give yourself the best chance at making it through this.”

The Princess gives her an encouraging smile, and it’s dazzling and hopefull, and Regina has to blink a few times because there are unexpected flashes in her mind to her vault and another smile, not at all unlike that one, and it is all confusing in a really, really uncomfortable way so she just averts her eyes and picks up some cheese and bread and hopes nobody notices just how flustered she suddenly got.

“Tell us about what happened.” The Queen is asking, and Regina is really grateful that the silence has ended, so she can push her errant thoughts down and concentrate on something concrete. After all, Emma is definitely not going to be much help in explaining as she is gesturing to Regina at her full mouth with a goofy apologetic smile, and the brunet wonders once again if her behavior could be more peasant like and less regal if she tried, but there is no malice in the thought, just resigned affection.

“We come from a kingdom not unlike yours,” she begins “only in a completely separate realm. I don’t know if you had a chance to encounter or read about any of them during your lives, but there are all these realms and dimensions which can only be accessed with magic-”

Before she can continue the Queen cuts in with a tight “Yes, we are aware” and Regina can see the Princess take her hand and squeeze it lightly as if giving her comfort, and she’d really like to know what the story behind that is, but not right now, not before they manage to sort their own situation first.

“We live in one of those realms, not our original kingdom.” That produces two curious looks, and she can see the Princess start to ask a question, but she quickly continues, determined to be as on point as possible. “It’s a long story, it’s enough to say that most of the people from our kingdom are with us, and we are used to this new realm. It’s home.” A small melancholic smile graces her lips before she continues. “We both have magic there, and it was this _brilliant_ idea Emma came up with that had us combine our magic and make a wish on a fairy’s wand. Needless to say it backfired, and we got stuck here.”

She throws an accusing look Emma’s way, and the blonde is quick to defend herself. “I was trying to be helpful; one would expect some gratitude, not the constant accusations!”

“Need I remind you that it was you who was responsible for my heartbreak in the first place, so I am sorry if you don’t get bonus points for trying to undo your own mess.”

“Oooh.” Two heads are looking at Emma and nodding knowingly, and Regina can see the moment she realizes what they just assumed, see her panic as she hurries to correct them.

“Wait, no! It’s not what you think, we are not together!”

“No?” The Queen is looking at her questioningly. “But you broke her heart and tried to fix it?”

“Well, yes, but not like that. Indirectly. I didn’t know who Marian was when I brought her b-“

There’s a gasp from the Princess and she interrupts, accusation in her tone. “You cheated on her?”

“No! I would never cheat on her.” It takes a moment as Emma realizes what she just said, and she is stammering and trying to figure out how to get out of it, and Regina can’t help but find the whole scene immensely amusing.

The Princess does not let her counterpart get another word in before asking again. “Then why are you not together anymore? Didn’t you say you wanted to get back to your son?”

“Yes we do, but he is not “our” son in that sense, we just share him. It’s a long story. And we are not…we were never… “She lets out a frustrated growl and turns towards the brunet, irritation evident in her every feature. “Feel free to jump in at any moment, Regina.”

“But Miss Swan, you seem to be handling things so well.”

“Regina…”

There’s both a warning and pleading in that word, and she finally decides to release the blond out of her misery. “In our realm we are not romantically involved, we never were. I have a soulmate who I lost in part due to Emma’s actions, and she is madly in love with a pirate with questionable hygiene habits.” She could swear she heard a soft _well, I wouldn’t say madly in love,_ and she finds it amusing that that’s the part of the sentence the blonde decided to focus on. “We were drinking too much last night and she proposed we make a wish for a new happy ending for me, thinking like a true idiot that we were owed a consequence free wish, as if there is such a thing when it comes to magic.”

“You did go along with it, you know.”

Regina shoots Emma a warning look, which, to be honest is all she can do considering that the blond has a point, but she’ll be damned if she’ll admit to that. “Anyhow, we certainly didn’t expect to find you two together, but since we did, it could make things easier. If we could find a wand, or a magic bean, or something from here that transports through realms, and if you helped us with your combined magic, maybe…maybe we could get home.”

Her words are full of hope, and she holds her breath as she looks at the two women, awaiting their response.

A few moments pass in expectation as the Queen and the Princess confer for a few moments, and then the decision is made. “There has not been a sighting of a fairy in our realm for over a hundred years,” the Queen starts to explain “not since the troll wars. I would not know where to start looking for a wand, but some research might help with that. I have also heard about a man who might have some magic beans, but he will not give them up willingly. And there is no guarantee that our magic would be enough, if I understand correctly. We might have to find a way to teach you to use your own magic here, which, to be honest, might be the biggest issue. You would have to forget everything you know about it and start from scratch.”

She waves one of the servants over and after giving her a few instructions, she continues. “You can help me with the books in the morning, but right now, you need to rest and gather your strength. Whatever we decide it will not be easy to get, and it will not be quick, you better accept that fact right now.”

She knows this already, it was unrealistic to hope for anything else, but Regina still wants to argue the point, still try to hang on to the idea that this will all be done in no time, and she’ll be back with her son where she belongs. One look at the Queen’s face and she knows it would be futile. There is compassion and understanding there, but there is also the knowledge that she is right, and no amount of wishing could change that.

“Our servants will prepare rooms and bath for you, and some better fitted clothes.” The Queen looks at Regina’s chest pointedly as the brunet’s shawl has slid down her back and her cleavage is in full view, but Regina just straightens her back, earning her a smirk and nodding approval from the Queen and she could swear a lingering look from Emma, but she can’t be sure because the only indicator of this is slight reddening of her cheeks as the Blonde is now stuffing her mouth with some vegetables pointedly ignoring – _or pretending to -_ everybody else.

They are soon done with their dinner, and as they get up to leave the Princess walks up to them and surprises Regina by giving each of them a hug, smiling as she says good night, and Regina can’t help but wonder if this would have been Emma if she had not robbed her of her childhood. This open, trusting individual, with no walls and no abandonment issues who finds it so easy to get close to people who are for all intended purposes complete strangers to her. The guilt hits her so hard that it’s almost physical, and she is turning and walking after the maid without another word or a glance back, leaving confused Emma behind.

Once they make it to her room she thanks the maid in clipped words and sends her out, and as she closes the door it takes her only two steps before it all crashes into her. Guilt, so much guilt she always feels but manages to keep at bay, and fear of the unknown, of the possibility that they are stuck here, and Henry, beautiful Henry who is alone right now, and probably so worried, and who she might never see again. And the loneliness, the ever present loneliness takes its hold on her and she is falling down and crying and shaking, and having trouble breathing, and she wants to stop but she can’t, there’s heaviness that is not letting go of her soul, and she feels like she is drowning in it. And suddenly there are arms around her, somebody is holding her, there is blonde hair on her face and calming nothings whispered in her ear, and she should be fighting her off, she should not let her see her like this, not Emma of all people… but she can’t. All her strength is gone and she is letting go, she is allowing the words to sooth her, gives in to the comfort the body molded around hers so perfectly provides before she finally drifts off into a fitful sleep, two strong arms never letting go of her even for a moment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to apologize if this chapter seems a bit info-dumpy, but some things had to be set up. All I can say is that it is relevant for the future plot.

She doesn’t know what time it is when she wakes up, but judging by the complete darkness and the numbness in her arm, they have been asleep like this for at least a couple of hours. She lifts her head a bit to check on Regina, but despite the brunet shifting a bit, she still seems asleep. In her arms. On the floor. Which is definitely not what Emma expected would happen when she stopped by the older woman’s room just to check if she was okay, considering how she took off after dinner. She doesn’t regret coming in, doesn’t regret comforting her. But this part? This part right here is going to be a huge problem the moment the older woman wakes up. Because Emma knows Regina by now. She knows that she might have reluctantly accepted comfort last night when she needed it, but once she wakes up and realizes what she had done she is going to perceive it as a weakness, she will hate herself for it, and Emma for witnessing it. Regina will get angry, and deny and be on the aggressive defensive and Emma really, really doesn’t want to go through that. Her only option is to figure out how to get out of here without waking the brunet, giving both of them a chance that come morning they can pretend nothing happened. Not the healthiest solution, but considering the alternative, a better one for sure.

She slowly manages to angle away from Regina, wincing at the pain a few hours of lying on the cold stone floor caused her body. Her left arm already in place she puts her other arm under Regina’s knees doing her best to get up without waking the older woman. It strains every muscle in her body, but it pays off and she is standing, Regina in her arms. For a moment she is afraid that she disturbed her sleep too much, but Regina only shifts in her arms and settles her head in the nook of Emma’s neck without actually waking up. The move and the position suddenly seem too intimate for Emma, there is something too familiar in it and she is taking big steps towards the bed, quickly lowering Regina down in an effort to remove herself from it.

She almost makes it. Almost. But as she is bent and pulls her left arm from under Regina’s back she takes a quick glance at the brunet’s face and can see two sleepy eyes observing her. She is waiting for the yelling, accusations, and how dare you, but none of it comes. Then she can hear it, barely hear it but it’s there, a soft “thank you”; two simple words spreading unexpected warmth across Emma’s chest. She manages a small smile which is barely mirrored by the brunet before she turns to her side and drifts off to sleep. Now Emma’s palms are sweating and there is this strange yearning in her chest, and for some reason she is trying to find a reason to stay. Shaking her head to get rid of the invasive thoughts she leans down once again to cover Regina with a corner of a bedspread and then she walks out, trying to ignore sudden feeling of loneliness.

It is a night of fitful sleep for her, and she is grateful when there is finally a knock at her door. She gets up to let the person in, but instead of a servant she thought was there to wake her, she is surprised to see Regina standing at her door. The woman has obviously been up for a while now, judging by the way she looks, all dressed up – _and really, what is it with all the Reginas and their love for tight, cleavage revealing gowns –_ and ready for whatever the day might bring. They are standing there for a few seconds not saying anything, until Regina finally lifts an eyebrow in amusement. “May I come in, or are we to have a stare off in the hallway?”

Blushing due to her apparent sudden lack of proper manners, she moves aside automatically, hoping that this visit has to do with plans for the day, and not the events of the previous night. Pretending like nothing happened is perfectly okay with her. She motions for the chair next to the dresser and waits for the older woman to start talking.

“I wanted to thank you, for last night.”

 _Where is Regina and what have they done to her?_ Because this is not what Emma expected, to say the least. Anger, yes. Denial, sure. But acknowledgment and thanks? She looks at the brunet and can see her nervousness come through despite trying hard to appear unaffected, and Emma suddenly realizes how hard this must be for her.

“I guess it was your turn for a breakdown.” She is quick to reassure her. “And hey, look at the positive side, at least yours was not in front of our…what exactly are they to us? Doubles?”

Regina smiles at that. “That’s as good a title as any. In any case, as I said, thank you for being there for me. I am not used to it, but I am learning that it can be nice to have a…friend.”

And okay, it’s a little embarrassing how Emma positively beams at the word, her mouth curving into a radiant smile on its own volition. Truth be told, she does not even care. This feels like a victory, like a big step forward, and she is not shy about showing it. She can see Regina fluster a bit and try to downplay it, she huffs and there’s a groused _now move it and get ready, there’s work to be done_ , but it’s already out there and nothing will ruin the moment for Emma.

She gets ready as quickly as possible – _after finally managing to get one of the maids to switch her dress for a shirt and a pair of pants because, really, how can the Princess be her and think she’d prefer a flashy dress to more practical clothing –_ and they have a quick breakfast before they are taken to join the Queen and the Princess in the library.

As they say their morning greetings, Emma takes a look around the place. The room is adorned with bookshelves from top to bottom on all walls, every one of them filled with a myriad of books. She can see Regina give it an appreciative once over, not hiding being impressed.

“This is quite a collection you have here.”

The Queen smiles. “I find that the greatest power comes not from the magic, but from knowledge. After all, all of the magic in the world is pointless if you don’t know how to use it properly.”

Regina nods approvingly, picking up one of the books laying on the table and settling with it in a nearby chair. “Any leads?”  

“I have been doing some research, and I am afraid that so far I don’t have any good news. There are no references to any remaining fairy wands.”

Emma takes out two pieces of wood from her pocket before approaching the Queen. “Actually, I can’t believe I didn’t remember this yesterday, but here’s the wand we used to get here. Or what’s left of it. Any chance you can…you know…fix it?”

She looks on hopefully as the Queen takes stock of the wand, before speaking. “I am sorry, whatever this did in your world, it will not do it here. I am not feeling any magic of it. I can fix it to be in one piece, but it’ll still be just that: a simple piece of wood.”

Disappointed, she takes the broken wand back, but then another thought comes to her. “Wait, do you think Rumpelstiltskin might have one? We did find that one in his shop in our world.”

The Queen’s face darkens at the mention of his name, and the Princess is quick to interject. “The Dark One is not an option.”

Emma shares a look with Regina, trying to gauge if they should push the issue, but right now they do not have too many options, so she doesn’t feel like she has a choice but to continue. “Look, if he is anything like the one from our side, he is always open for a trade. Maybe if Regina and I can offer something, make him a deal-“

The Princess doesn’t let her finish, and while her words are not harsh, there’s finality to them. “I am sorry, I know how much you want to go home, but what you are proposing is simply not possible. There is no deal to be made with Rumpelstiltskin unless it involves the Queens life.”

Emma is lost for words at that, but she can hear Regina ask, curiosity and worry in her voice. “Why does he want you dead?”

There’s a short tense silence before the Princess answers. “His son was my true love. My destined.”

She stops for a moment as if collecting herself, and Emma can see Regina put a reassuring hand on her arm before speaking. “Is he…dead?“

“No, he is not dead. At least we don’t think so.”

“But how are you not with him, then?”

“It’s confusing, I know. After all, it’s true love. We even broke a curse together with a kiss. I was supposed to love him beyond anything, and I did. Until the day I met the Queen.” There’s a pause as she takes the Queen’s hand, giving her a reminiscent smile. “True Love has it easy. Oh, there are curses, and obstacles, but the entire magical force is set up in your favor. It’s really not hard, when you think about it. But Regina? Oh, she was a challenge. We butted heads on the first day, but there was this…draw… I fought against it at the beginning. I didn’t want to hurt Bae, I didn’t understand what was going on. But it was there. In the end I had a choice. I could pretend everything was the same, enjoy my prescribed true love’s happiness. Be content. Or decide to make my own destiny. Less certain. Challenging. But happy in a genuine way. Not manufactured because fairy dust said so and paved the way for us.”

Emma grew up in what she considered to be normal world, with no magic, fairies, and everything that comes with it, so it’s easy for her to understand this. Despite her parents, the concept of true romantic love always seemed too forced for her, too final, with very little choice involved. Taking that choice back seems like the most natural thing to her. One look at Regina, though, and she can see that this might as well be the most outrageous thing she has ever heard.

“You…you chose somebody over your true love?” There’s confusion and bewilderment in her voice, and she keeps glancing between the Queen and the Princess, as if hoping to find some kind of an answer.

The Princess smiles before replying. “Yes, I did, before she ever knew how I felt. I didn’t want to really approach Regina before I had ended things with Bae, so I finally talked to him. He didn’t take it well. I was heartbroken for him, but I couldn’t give up on what I wanted from life just to keep him happy. So he left. He was just gone the next morning, no note, nothing… Nobody has seen him in years. Rumpelstiltskin blames us, blames Regina for it, and has been trying to kill her ever since. I think he believes that if she is gone, Bae will come back for me.”

“Don’t you regret your choice?” Emma cringes at Regina’s insensitive question right in front of the Queen, but the laugh that comes from the Princess sets her mind at ease.

“Not for one second. I did love Bea, as I said, and I probably always will, just not in the way he wants me to. The way magic wants me to. And Regina? I think I adored her from the first moment I laid my eyes on her, despite not being willing to admit it. When we were apart, I missed Bea. With Regina, it hurts almost physically.” The Queen and the Princess share a loving look, before she continues. “I’ll admit that it doesn’t help that she is the stubbornness person I have ever met. It took me a long time to convince her to give me a chance.”

There’s something akin to amazement in Regina’s voice as she asks. “So you pursued her, not the other way around?”

“Oh, yes. She wouldn’t give me the time of day for the longest time. She was supposed to marry my grandfather, to unite our kingdoms against the Evil Queen. She was willing to give up everything for revenge. I had to convince her there was more to life than that. Of course once I managed to break down her walls, it was a whole new battle. Now she was too noble to cost me my soulmate, she wanted me to go after him. I could have strangled her right then and there when she said that.”

The Queen lifts an amused eyebrow at that. “You do realize that _she_ you are talking about is right here?”

“Is anything I have said not true?”

Lost in their banter, they are not noticing Emma and Regina exchange a look, confusion evident on both their features. “I’m sorry, but…you said **against** the Evil Queen? But…aren’t you… who was the Evil Queen?”

The Queen looks up, sadness mixed with anger in her words. “My mother.”

Emma can see Regina physically recoil, as if she had been hit. “Your…Cora?”

“Yes. She was always power hungry, marrying my father was just a first step in her big plan. I have learned from different people that she was responsible for the deaths of most of his family, but nobody could prove anything. She was a powerful sorceress, after all, if not the most powerful. In the end, when he was finally a king, it took her less than a year to kill him and take over the throne.” She stops as if it’s too hard for her to continue, and the Princess lifts their entwined hands to her lips and gives her a little kiss of encouragement. Sending her a grateful look, the Queen continues. “She was a cruel ruler, to everybody. The kingdom was suffering under her rule, but she didn’t really care. I wasn’t like her, I tried to help people out, but it cost me in the end. I guess I was too well liked by the kingdom, because soon she started to perceive me as a threat. She shouldn’t have, though. She was evil, but I loved her. I would have never… “She shakes her head sadly before continuing. “She cursed me. Sent me to another realm. It took me a long time to find my way back, long enough that I wasn’t even sure she’d be alive when I returned. But she was, and I…there was a lot of hate in me by then.”

Emma notices how engrossed in the story Regina is, how her shoulders are tense and her hands are clutching the book she is holding so hard her knuckles are white. She wants to reassure her, support her in some way, but right now she is not sure any gesture on her part would be welcomed. The older woman’s voice shakes a bit as she asks “Did…did she have her heart through all of this?”

“Yes, of course she did.”

“But how can you be sure, she could have taken it out to make sure she doesn’t fe-“

“I can be sure because I was the one to rip it out of her chest and crush it.”

That seems to be too much for Regina to handle, as she is looking at the Queen in shock, before getting up, knocking the chair back in the process. “Regina-“Emma tries to stop her but her hand gets pushed away and Regina is running out, a strangled sob left in her wake.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this chapter the info-dumps end, and our ladies are back in the focus. Sorry about it being necessary.

It’s not that Regina is not well aware that this realm is different, the experiences and results altered in a way nobody could predict. No, what is affecting her so much is the very possibility that she was actually capable of doing it. Somewhere, under certain circumstances, she was the one to end her mother’s life intentionally. She was able to get out from under her thumb, and secure her own happiness, as it seems. She can’t really decide if she is resenting the Queen or admiring her for what she had succeeded in.

She is still leaning on one of the columns in the yard bringing her ragged breathing under control when she hears steps approaching her. She turns around in an attempt to send Emma away, but it surprises her to find the Queen standing behind her.

“I am sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. I don’t know what your relationship with your mother is, or how horrible all that sounded to you, and there was certainly a better way to say it.”

Regina wipes away a tear and straightens, trying to compose herself. “No, I am sorry. I am not usually this emotional, as you probably know.”

The Queen smiles at that, pointing at the bench for them to sit on before continuing. “I can understand this being overwhelming. I need you to understand, what I did, I did not do lightly. When I got back I was full of hate, desire for revenge, but even in all of that I never actually considered killing her. In the end, she didn’t leave me a choice.”

“Didn’t…didn’t she want to fix things? Did she try?”

“Of course she did. But not for the reason I would have hoped for.” She shakes her head sadly. “I have had enough time to come to terms with who she was. She didn’t want to fix things because she missed me, or was sorry. She was afraid of me. I still remember the moment I first came face to face with her after my exile. She looked exactly as she did the day she cursed me, as did I. She had her magic, and I was on an island which stops time in a way, if you know how to do it.”

“Neverland?”

“Yes, you know of it?”

Regina just nods her head, not willing to revisit those memories right now, and the queen continues. “It was rather unsettling, like the past decades never happened. She had heard about my magic, but I guess she didn’t believe it. She did always consider me weak, after all. Once she came face to face with it… I wasn’t just strong, I was stronger than she was.” She takes a calming breath before continuing. “Fear and pride. That was the first time in my life I saw those two emotions on her face. Despite being afraid, she was actually proud of me for the first time in my life. It took me off balance enough for her to escape. That’s when she decided to try to get me to her side instead of destroying me, I guess.”

“And she didn’t succeed?”

“No. I knew her too well; I knew what accepting her offer would mean for me, for my life. So I refused.” She pauses, anger clouding her eyes. “Which is when she took Emma. She figured it out, she realized the depth of my feelings for her before even I did. She was always really good at that.” Regina nods her head knowingly. _Some things are apparently the same everywhere._

“What she didn’t realize was how far I was willing to go to save her. I had to choose between Emma and my mother. Her last look was of pure shock when I choose Emma. She did not expect that. I guess I managed to surprise her twice.”

There is a moment of melancholic silence, each woman lost in her own thoughts, before the Queen asks, tentatively. “Is your mother-?”

Regina takes a moment before answering. “She is dead as well. I killed her, not knowingly.” She straightens out as if making a decision. “That, however, is a story for another time. We need to get back to work right now.”

“As you wish.” The Queen agrees, leading them back to the library.

As soon as they enter Regina can feel two pairs of identical worried eyes focusing on her, making her rather embarrassed for her outburst. “I am sorry for leaving, I just needed a few moments. We can continue now.”

She sits next to Emma, and the blonde takes the opportunity to lean in and whisper. “Are you sure you are okay?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine, thank you. It was just a lot to take in.”

The Queen takes her place next to the Princess before continuing where they left off. “There is an alternative to Rumpelstiltskin. I know of a man who used to jump realms. Captain Jones. “

“Hook?” At no recognition from the woman, Regina hears Emma try again. “Killian?”

“Yes, that is his name, you know him?”

Before Emma can answer, Regina can’t help herself but mumble under her breath. “I was wondering when he was going to show up.”

It is still loud enough for all the women to have heard it, and Emma gives her a chastising glance before answering. “Yes, we do. In my world he is my…we are dating.”

There is not a small amount of surprise on Queen’s face, but she covers it quickly before continuing in an even tone. “I have never met him, but when I was gathering information on my mother after returning I heard he was her consort for a long time. I guess she found him pretty, and he found the fact that she was keeping him pretty an incentive enough to stay. After about two decades I guess even the promise of everlasting youth had not been enough to keep him with her any longer. He was smart about it, though. You don’t just walk out on my mother, and he knew it. He stole her magic beans and found a way to use them.”

Regina wants to say another _why am I not surprised_ but before she opens her mouth she can see a disapproving look on Emma’s face _and really, she is starting to know her too well by now_ so she just clamps her mouth shut and focuses on the Queen.

“I’ve heard he’s been back in this realm since she’s been gone. I don’t know much about him, but from what I have heard he was a good partner to my mother. He enjoyed her cruel side, and has been a part of some of the vile things she’d been doing. He is smart to stay out of my kingdom, because I would certainly hold him accountable for his deeds.” She pauses before continuing, this time focusing on Emma. “He is not a good man here. I am certain he will not part with any of the beans voluntarily.”

“Maybe if I talk to him I coul-”

“Oh, please!” It’s astounding to Regina how naïve Emma can be some times. _For somebody claiming to have all the street smarts of the world, her ability to not think before speaking can be astonishing. “_ He would not be willing to listen. He is not your boyfriend, he doesn’t even know who you are. I thought that we have determined that this place is different.” She says this as she pointedly gestures at their hosts. “Unless you are about to profess your undying love for me we can safely say that the rules from our world do not apply to this one.” Emma gives her an irritated look, and she could swear the blonde just blushed a bit, but she continues without pause. “And if you think you are so irresistible that he will fall for you at a glance, did that work for you the first time? Correct me if I am wrong, Miss Swan, but weren’t you left to die by the man at one point before he did a one-eighty and started following you like a lost, whining puppy?”

Regina takes a deep breath after finishing, trying to rain in her irritation. She really isn’t sure why that man can get a rise out of her even without being anywhere near. He did participate in her torture, but other people have done worse, and she does not have the same reaction.

She is brought from her thoughts by a soft “Emma.”

She turns towards the blond in confusion. “What?”

“My name is Emma.” Her hands are in her pockets and she is not really looking at Regina as she says it, and brunet’s eyes are softening, understanding, and she gives her an apologetic smile as she sighs before softly correcting herself. “Emma.”

“It was just an idea…”

Now Emma is the one who looks like a kicked puppy, and it’s tugging at Regina’s emotions, but she refuses to feel guilty for telling the truth, so as a plan forms in her mind, she turns to the Queen. “Is there any way you can do a locating spell?”

“Probably.” She nods her head as she gets up to grab a rolled map from a nearby shelf. “Having something of his would help, but I know my mother’s magic signature well, and he has been recipient of it for a long time, longer than anybody from what I have heard. That should be enough.”

Satisfied with the answer, Regina continues. “In that case we go find him and determine if he even has any more of the beans, and take it from there.” It’s not much of a plan, but it’s proactive and pretty much the only thing they can do right now, so they all accept it without comment.

The Queen spreads the map on the table, presenting the drawing of the entire realm. She focuses on it while chanting an incantation, but after nothing happens for a few minutes she stops and looks at the Princess. “Love?”

The Princess nods and takes one of the Queen’s hands into hers as the incantations continue. Suddenly there is a gentle wind as two threads of magic start pulling together – one blue, one pink – forming one thread in the light shade of purple which continues its path towards the map. Regina can barely hear Emma mumble _oh, come on_ , _my magic is pink - can I be any more of a stereotype here_ and she can’t help but chuckle at it, earning her a glare and a shush from the Queen.

Finally the thread stops and a black dot starts forming on the coast of one of the kingdoms.

“That is King George’s land.”

The Princess didn’t sound too happy about that, but Regina is actually pleased with the result. “I know that area, I’ve been to that port several times. Unless the architecture is completely different, we’ll know where to go.”

“It might be a little bit more complicated than that.”

“What do you mean?”

It’s the Queen who answers. “King George and King Midas have formed an alliance to take advantage of the current strain in my relations with the White Kingdom. They were my mother’s allies, and did not take it well when I took over the throne. They did not dare do anything while the alliance between the White Kingdom and me was strong, even after the wedding with Leopold has been canceled. But since the wedding with Emma has been announced…there are all kinds of rumors about the support being withdrawn. Those two are old man in search of their former glory. They see an opportunity and want to take it.”

There’s a moment of silence before the Princess turns to the Queen. “They can’t go alone there, you know it. It’s dangerous as it is, and with them looking like us and not having any magic…”

“No!” The Queen gives the Princess a hard look as she says it, not leaving any room for discussion.

Or so Regina thought, because the Princess only puts her hand over the Queen’s before continuing. “Love, you know I am right. You can’t leave the castle in case there is an attack, but I can.”

“No, I will not allow it.”

“Really? You will not allow it?! And who made you my keeper? I am perfectly capable of deciding on my own what I can and cannot do.” Now the Princess is fuming, the Queen looks angry, and both Regina and Emma are uncomfortable and fidgeting, wanting to jump in before this escalates further, but the need for that disappears because as suddenly and as quickly as it appeared, the tension is gone.

“Fine.” The Queen exhales in resignation.

The Princess’s face softens immediately. “Look, it will be a quick affair. You will transfer us as far as you can, and we’ll go from there. It will be a couple of days at most. Do you really think I would miss our wedding after I fought so hard for it?”

The Queen sighs and nods her head, but still adds “I still think it’s too dangerous” as a final, futile attempt.

“You think me getting on a horse is too dangerous. You are hardly objective on the matter.”

Shaking her head and finally completely capitulating, the Queen turns to Regina and Emma. “I will instruct my servants to prepare you provisions for the trip. It will not take long, so I propose you do whatever you need to before the trip, and meet me in the yard in an hour.

When Regina makes it to the yard, Emma and their hosts are already waiting for her, three horses in tow. Confused at the apparent change in transportation, she turns towards the Queen. “I thought you were going to transport us part of the way?”

“Yes, you and the horses. I can get you to the border, the rest of the way you are on your own.”

Regina looks at the Queen incredulously. “Your magic is strong enough to get us half across the kingdom, with horses?!”

The Queen tilts her head a bit, looking at Regina with interest. “Isn’t yours?”

“No.” Regina practically growls out the word.

“It could be. We are the same, after all, if it’s inside of me, it should be inside of you as well.”

Regina isn’t that sure about that, and pushing down another wave of jealousy towards the other self which makes her none too proud, she just nods her head. “Maybe you’ll give me a few pointers when we get back.”

The Queen nods, and then her undivided attention is on the Princess. “Come back to me safe.”

“Always.”

The Princess takes the Queen’s face in her hands and presses her lips against hers. There is so much tenderness in the move, a promise of safe return and more to come, and Regina feels like she is spying on a very private moment, but she simply can’t look away even if she is trying. When they finally part Regina manages to avert her eyes pretending that she was looking at something interesting on the wall all this time, but not before she notices Emma having a very similar dazed look on her face, still transfixed on the pair.

The Princess steps away, and taking the reins of her horse, she stands next to Regina. “Time to go.”

The Queen raises her hand and in a wisp of blue smoke they are gone.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a veiled verbal threat of rape in this chapter. It never goes beyond that in this or any other chapters, but I thought to mention it just in case, considering that even as such it might be a trigger for somebody.

It isn’t that Emma doesn’t like horses, quite the opposite. It’s just that she wishes she actually took a few more riding lessons when she had the chance. Looking at Regina and the Princess riding ahead of her as if they were born for it – _which, to be honest, they kind of were –_ she wishes she could enjoy herself a bit more instead of continuously struggling to remain **on** her horse while attempting not to slow them down. She takes another glance at Regina and can’t help the smile that forms on her face. The woman seems relaxed, almost carefree. With a few strands of hair having escaped her ponytail and dancing freely across her face, her cheeks flush from the wind and a smile on her lips, for a moment Emma thinks she can see that girl she heard of, the girl so full of life and love and innocence, the girl who existed before her whole world was turned upside down.

She is brought from her thoughts by the Princess who motions for Regina to slow down, and she follows suit, wondering if there is a problem ahead. “We are not too far away from the port, maybe another hour of riding.” The Princess waits for both of them to come to a full stop before continuing. “I’d prefer it if we didn’t stay on the road from here on in. It might be too risky, considering the types who frequent this area. Despite my magic and your sward proficiency it’d be better if we didn’t attract any attention to us unless absolutely necessary.” She turns to Regina. “You said you know this area, do you think you could get us in town some other way?"

Emma can see Regina’s face scrunch in thought for a few moments before she answers. “There is a side approach through the forest, I am pretty sure I can get us there without running into anybody. Being off the road will slow us down significantly, though.”

She looks at both women to see if they agree, and after they both nod, she motions for them to follow her, and turns her horse off the road into the woods. Apart from the short break they took for lunch they have been riding like mad for nearly the whole day, so Emma is happy to finally get some reprieve for her thighs and arms – _and she will have to get an extra apple for the poor horse, she might have hurt him how hard she’d been holding on to make sure she didn’t fall off –_ and she finally relaxes a bit in her saddle.

As Regina leads the way, the Princess brings her horse in line with Emma’s. “It seems that Regina is feeling better?”

Emma nods her head. “I think so. The riding is helping. She loves horses, from what I know I think she fell in love with riding from the first moment she got on a horse.”

The Princess nods. “The Queen is the same. I love watching her when she rides, she looks so free and unburdened. I enjoy riding, but it’s just another activity to me. To her it’s like a way to let go of the past, of everything, and just exist in the moment. It’s a beautiful sight.”

Looking back at Regina for a moment Emma gives the Princess a knowing smile. They ride for a few minutes in silence, before Emma looks over again and can’t help but shake her head. “How can you prefer a skirt, even for riding? How can we even be related?”

The Princess smiles. “Well, we are not really related.”

“You know what I mean. We are basically the same person. I can understand different experiences shaping us as different people, but this is…this is just common logic!”

She is afraid for a moment that she might have offended the other woman with that – _and really, since when did thinking before talking become such an issue for her –_ but the other woman just gives her an amused look. “Well, first of all, this is a riding skirt; it’s made for this purpose. And second, while not always preferring it to this extant, I have found that there are some significant advantages to dresses and skirts.” She leans a bit towards Emma before whispering conspiratorially. “My Queen can be very spontaneous, and this allows her easy access.”

It takes Emma a few moments to figure out the implication, before blushing furiously. “Oh. Oh! Too much information! Too much information!”

With a mischievous look the Princess just laughs and spurs her horse ahead to catch up with Regina, and Emma is left behind in shock, unwanted images swarming her mind. She shakes her head trying to physically remove them from her head, but it’s no use. There are flashes of the Queen and the Princess sitting while the Queen’s hand makes indecent trips under the table, the library they were in and the table being used not for maps but completely different activities, and she is cursing under her breath at her counterpart for torturing her in this way but still can’t stop her mind from going there, and suddenly it’s no longer the Queen and the Princess, it’s Emma, she is naked and leaning against the wall and looking down to see Regina on her knees in front of her, looking up at her with those big brown eyes, that annoyingly arrogant, confident - _and oh so sexy -_ smirk on her lips just before she lowers her head and _oh my-_

The excruciating pain in her back is the first thing that gets her mind back to reality, closely followed by twin worried exclamations of “Emma!”

She is not sure what is more mortifying to her at the moment: the fact she fell of a horse in front of them, or the reason she did, the reason she is irrationally almost certain is completely obvious to the two women worriedly hovering above her now.

“Emma, what happened? Are you OK?”

Regina is kneeling next to her, worried look on her face, but all Emma can do is look anywhere but at her. “Yes, I’m fine. There was something in our way, and I pulled a bit too hard on the reins, I guess…”

There’s a skeptical look on Regina’s face, but she lets it go. “Maybe you should ride with me this part, this area can be trick-“

“No!” She puts an overly cheerful smile on her face to mask her outburst and tries to get up, working really hard to hide the pain the move is causing her. “I mean, I’ll be OK, I did make it all the way here without an incident. It was just a momentary slip.”

Trying to prevent any further discussion she goes to mount her horse again, but as soon as she tries to lift her leg, sharp pain shoots through her back, and she is stumbling back with a stifled cry. It takes only a second before there are arms holding her, helping her stay upright, and at first she is grateful, until she feels a hand untucking her shirt. She turns to Regina, shocked expression on her face. “What…what are you doing?”

“Emma, whether you want to admit it or not, you are hurt. We need to take a look and see what we need to do about it.”

“I can do it.” It comes out more like a squeak when Emma says it, and she hurriedly starts unbuttoning her shirt ignoring Regina’s confused and Princess’s knowing looks in the process. _She will have to have a good long talk about boundaries with her namesake after all of this is done._ Once she shrugs her shirt off- _and she is really grateful her bra survived the trip to this realm -_ she turns her back to the other women, hoping that it does not look as bad as it feels.

Apparently it does look bad, judging by Regina’s sharp intake of breath at the sight. She is about to ask, but voice catches in her throat as she can feel warm fingers on her back. They are making their way from the side towards her spine, and are moving down, going in light circles, and Emma is suddenly dizzy, unexpected warmth spreading in her stomach and moving down and lower, lower…and there is a gasp and she wants to fall into the ground when she realizes it was her, but before she has a chance to say or do anything the hand is gone and she can hear Regina, distress evident in her voice. “I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you, I was just trying to determine how bad it was.”

She hates seeing Regina look so guilty, she wants to tell her that was not the issue, that she didn’t hurt her but she can’t, really, not without…she can’t and she just nods her head and gets out a strangled “It’s okay, it was not that bad.”

Regina is still looking at her apologetically when the Princess moves in. “Do you mind?” She points at Emma’s back and the blond nods. She looks it up once more before speaking. “It was a bad fall, but I think I can fix this with my magic, if you’ll allow it.”

Happy to have a quick solution at hand, Emma nods her head eagerly. “Please.”

The Princess moves her hands across Emma’s back, pink smoke appearing around her fingers for a moment and within a minute Emma feels like new again. “Is that better?”

“Oh, yes.” She bends over to touch her toes just to check it out. “Thank you! I didn’t know you had healing magic.”

“That is the main element of my magic. It’s other things that I find tricky, but the Queen is teaching me. She has been really patient with me, I must admit. I am not always the easiest of students.”

“You don’t say?” Regina looks at Emma with an amused expression as she says it, and she opens her mouth to respond, but then gives up and just shrugs her shoulders, because she can’t deny that some things truly are the same, no matter the circumstances.

Instead she picks up her shirt and while butting it she motions to the horses. “We need to continue.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Regina still seems worried as she asks that, and Emma does her best to reassure her. “Yes, I’ll be fine. It was just a onetime thing. Trust me. I’ll be much more careful from here on.”

The brunette sighs but acquiesces, and Emma lets out a relieved breathe. Riding on a horse is trouble enough, doing it while sitting behind Regina, holding onto her while her mind is playing tricks on her…yes, not an option in Emma’s book. She gets on her horse without any trouble this time and waits for Regina to lead. As they make their way towards the port, Emma starts going back over past half an hour. _What the hell was that?_ Since when does she get aroused thinking of Regina, of all people? She is convinced she is starting to project from the situation of their counterparts. She is not even attracted to women, she never was. The only problem is when she thinks about it, she is aware that it is not exactly the full truth. She does find Regina attractive. The woman is gorgeous, everybody with eyes can see that. She just never thought of her in a sexual way. It’s just not…it was never an option in her mind. Not for her. Not when there was Neal, and Graham, and Hook… But then a thought invades her mind, and as much as she tries to push it down, it refuses to leave. Lilly. But no, she will not let herself go there. Lilly was just a friend, just a possibility of a best friend, that’s it… And if ever there was a time not to suddenly start to wonder if she is bisexual, this is it. She is with Hook, Regina is in love with Robin, and all she is feeling right now is a projection of what she is seeing here. It’s not real. It can’t be real. They’ll find the beans, get home, and everything will go back to normal. There is a small voice in her head saying that she is way past that point but she pushes it down, determined to focus on their mission, and ignore everything else.

The rest of the ride passes in silence, and besides pretending not to see Regina turning to check on her every once in a while, she is feeling like her old self by the time the brunet stops them. “We will have to continue on foot from here. It’s starting to get too dark to continue on horses, and we can’t take them in the port as it is.”

Emma looks around and notices a nice clearing to their right. “There?”

The Princess nods. “It seems like a good spot. We can leave the horses and our provisions. In an unlikely event somebody stumbles here I will put a protection spell on them, they will not be able to see them.”

They take their horses to the clearing, and as they take their necessities, Emma straps the sward she was given to her side. She’d still have preferred a gun, but beggars can’t be choosers, and she has gotten really good with it, after all. She can see Regina take the knife she requested – _most toxic poisons are kept in small bottles, Emma –_ and all of them drape big hooded cloaks over their backs before moving out. It takes them less than half an hour to enter the small town, finding the streets surprisingly busy.

“Our best chance for now is the local tavern.” The Princess looks around as she speaks. “If Jones is here, chances are he’ll show up at some point. And even if he doesn’t, we will ask around in there, somebody was bound to have seen him.”

Regina nods her head and starts leading the way. They keep their heads down as they move through bristling streets, finally making it to their destination without an incident. As they make it inside, Regina notices a table in the corner, not completely hidden, but shadowed enough to give them some amount of privacy, so she motions to Emma and the Princess to follow her. They take a few steps but then Emma suddenly hears a familiar voice.

She stops in her step, blocking the passage for the Princess as well. “Emma?”

“Hook is here.”

“Jones? Where?”

Emma points her head at the loud group of men in the center. “The one in the leather jacket.”

As they both focus on him, the waitress walks towards the men, but soon is grabbed and finds herself in the lap of a handsy pirate. “C’mon, love, give us a kiss.”

The barmaid is visibly uncomfortable, but she puts on a nervous smile and gives him a quick peck on the cheek before extracting herself and trying to walk off.

“You call that a kiss?!” Hook yells, before smacking her on the ass to the delight of his table mates.

The Princess turns to Emma with disgust on her face. “That is your boyfriend!?”

Shuffling her feet Emma tries to defend him, she is just not sure if it’s for the Princess’s or her own benefit. “He is not like this in our realm.”

“Really?” The Princess scoffs. “I don’t see too much room for improvement, to be honest.”

On the edge after the confusing day, Emma just snaps back. “Well, you are marrying the Evil Queen, and you don’t see me giving you grief over that.”

Confusion washes over the Princess’s face. “I am marrying who?”

Already sorry for the outburst, Emma shakes her head in resignation. “It’s a long story, not for now.”

A few more seconds pass before the Princess moves around Emma, mumbling under her breath but loud enough for her counterpart to hear - _intentionally she is certain._ “She is so much prettier than he is.”

Sighing, Emma pretends to have not heard it and follows. They sit with Regina, and can see that she has noticed Hook as well. “What do we do now?”

Emma thinks for a moment before speaking. “If he is here, we have a unique opportunity to search his boat and determine if the beans are there.”

“Do we even know where it is?”

Regina turns to the Princess to answer. “This is not a big port, it should be rather easy to locate it. I doubt he left it somewhere else. I know how to get us there, and I will need some help in case there are men guarding it, but one of you has to stay here and keep an eye on him just in case I am wrong and the boat is not there. We don’t want to lose him.” She turns to Emma before continuing. ”It would be better if it was you, in case some tracking is needed. Whichever way it goes, we will meet back here when done.”

Emma nods, not happy about the fact they’d be separating, but knowing that this was their best chance. “Go. It doesn’t seem like he’ll be going anywhere anytime soon, so you’ll probably have plenty of time to find his stash if it’s there. And if it’s not…well, we’ll think about that once you get back.”

The other two women get up to leave, and as Regina is passing by Emma the blond suddenly has this uneasy feeling in her stomach, so she grabs her hand and stops her. “Be careful, okay?”

Regina doesn’t seem surprised by her reaction, and she just gives her a small smile and a nod. Emma notices her eyes wander to the group of men with Hook before she looks back at the blond. “And you try to refrain from playing a hero. This realm has its own saviors, I’d like to get ours back to Storybrooke in one piece, okay?”

Emma tries to contain her smile, she really does. It’s no use, though, since it’s still there, unguarded and showing much more than she is willing to at this moment. She tries to mask it with a quick nod and a wave of her hand to send her off, and is glad when Regina turns and walks off after the Princess. Emma watches them leave, and then she settles in and waves for the barmaid. If she is to sit here all night and watch a copy of her boyfriend act like a caveman, well, at least she will not be doing it thirsty.

 

Its’ been almost an hour, and already it’s enough to make Emma want to be anywhere other than here. Hook is loud and obnoxious, has no issues with molesting poor barmaids by grabbing every part of them he can reach whenever they walk by, and it’s really hard for her not to get up and smack some sense into him. And then every time she’s about to do it she has to remind herself that it is not Hook, it’s a different Killian Jones, a man who does not belong to her world, and she has to stop equating them. Only, she remembers Hook from before he changed, and the distinction is really, really hard to maintain. It surprises her when Hook suddenly stands up and with a theatrical flair announces that the crowd is beneath him and he is done for the evening. They did not plan for him to be done so soon, and if she doesn’t think of something Regina and the Princess might be in for a surprise visit – that is if they managed to find his ship.

She doesn’t really have much time to decide on what to do since he is already out the door, so she leaves a few coins to pay for the drinks and follows outside. And as soon as she does, she can feel two pairs of hands grab for her. She manages to get one of her arms free and using the momentum hits the other man holding her square in the face. As he topples over holding his now bloody nose the other man swings at her, but she manages to duck down, grabbing him around his waist and slamming him into the wall behind them. Just as she pulls her arm back and is about to hit him and make a break for it, she can feel something sharp pushing at her back, and can hear Hook’s voice in his usual, fake cheerful tone. “Aren’t you a resourceful one? How about you be a good girl now and stop beating up my men?”

Realizing that trying to grab her own sward would probably get her killed, she lifts her arms and turns back.

“Maybe you need better men, if they get beat up so easily.”

He laughs at that and motions his head back at them. “Listen to the lady and stop being so useless. Tie her up properly.”

Giving her a hateful look the man with the bloody nose takes a piece of rope and mercilessly tightens it around her wrists. She does not give him the satisfaction of wincing, but she feels the rope cut viciously into her skin. She realizes that the two men tying her up were in the group sitting with Hook, and she wants to beat herself up for being so stupid and not paying more attention to what was going on. This recklessness was not her, and she finally starts to realize that the entire situation they found themselves in might have affected her more than she would like to admit. Deciding it was not the best time to dwell on it right now, she refocuses on the situation. She is happy to note that her arms are the only things they tied, which still leaves her room to maneuver, if the situation presents itself.

Hook checks out their handiwork once they are done with her and nods in satisfaction. “So, love, care to tell me why you have been eying me all evening? I am dashingly handsome, I know, but still, it’s not every day that a princess shows such interest in me.”

Emma tries not to look stunned at the fact he recognized her. This could complicate an already bad situation, and her mind is trying hard to figure out a way out of this. Trying to buy herself some time, she asks. “How do you know who I am?”

“I have lived for much longer then you have, Your Highness, and I have achieved that by being careful and being well informed.” He is in her personal space as he talks, his finger tracing from her neck down to her collarbone, making Emma recoil from him.

He just laughs and pulls her back into him. “Oh, come on, it can’t be that bad. After all, I don’t know what the Queen does for you, but whatever it is, I can easily top it.”

She looks at him with disgust before spitting out. “Not if you were the last man alive.”

He only leers at her before his hand starts playing with the first button on her shirt. “You wouldn’t be the first one who said no, love, but then learned to enjoy it.”

This is not an empty threat. The look in his eyes makes his intentions clear, and she has to fight hard not to show any fear, not to show she feels like she is about to throw up. Her head is spinning and it’s all too much and confusing in an extremely uncomfortable way. She keeps telling herself that this is not her Hook, this is another person, but there are flashbacks to his actions, and _when I jab you with my sward you’ll feel it_ statements keep coming back to her, and she can’t be thinking of that now, not when she has to act. And then an idea comes to her. “Look, you know who I am, so you know you have a gold mine in your hands. The Queen will pay handsomely for my safe return. However, if anything were to happen to me, do you really think there’d be a stone you could hide under when she found out what you did?” She looks him straight in the eyes before adding. “And you know she would find out. She would hunt you down to any world, any realm you might think to escape to, and trust me, you don’t want to think about what she would do to you once she caught up.”

He tries hard not to appear affected, but the small swallow betrays the fact she got to him. If he knew Cora as well as is implied, and he knows her daughter is stronger than she ever was, he must realize that this is a very real threat. He recovers quickly, though, and regaining the nonchalant attitude, he turns to his men. “We’ll take her to Jolly Roger and lock her up in the brig. I’ll decide what to do with her in the morning. Her Queen might pay us handsomely, but I think I know a man who might be able to top that price, and keep us out of it.”

With that one of the men pushes her ahead, a sward jabbed in her back in case she decides to make trouble, and they all start their track to the Jolly Roger.  


	8. Chapter 8

Finding the port and the pirate’s ship was the easy part, as the Princess and Regina figure out, finding the way on it is what presents a problem. Besides the fact that this Jolly Roger is significantly larger than the one Hook has, the vessel is sporting a pretty obvious magical barrier, a protection spell preventing any kind of magical interference on the ship. Which wouldn’t be an issue if there weren’t at least two man from what they could see patrolling the main deck. Okay, patrolling might be a bit of a too strong term, considering they were alternating between drinking and stumbling around, but still…if there were two, there could be many more. And now Regina really wishes it was Emma who came with her, and not the Princess. She is not really good at hiding it, either, judging by the Princess’s next words.

“Look, I know I am not Emma, but I have been trained in hand to hand combat by my father. I can help even without my magic.”

Regina looks her up and down skeptically, but still nods her head, knowing that she doesn’t really have much choice in the matter anyhow.

“What do you want to do?”

The Princess seems to have decided to let her lead the show, so she thinks for a few more moments before making a decision. “We need to wait them out. If we are lucky, they’ll both pass out, sooner rather than later, judging by things. If not, we can time it so that we climb on board while they are both on the other side.”

They settle behind the crates which gives them a nice view of the deck while providing enough cover and resign themselves to a long wait. Which wouldn’t be a problem in itself if Regina couldn’t feel the Princess’s eyes rest on her much more than on the ship itself. After about ten minutes of allowing the other woman to study her, she’s finally had enough. “Okay, what is it?”

The Princess looks startled. “What do you mean?”

“I can practically hear you think, and your attention is certainly not on that boat. There’s something you want to ask me. Go ahead.”

She can see the Princess bite her lower lip for a few moments before making a decision. “You were the Evil Queen in your world?”

Regina can’t hide the disappointment that swells in her. Emma told her. She is not denying it, nor trying to escape it, and if it came up at any point she’d have volunteered the information herself, it’s just…it feels like a betrayal of trust in a way, and she hates the fact that instead of being angry at the blonde, she is feeling hurt. Again.

“Yes, I was.” She takes a deep breath before offering an explanation, but then stops. What exactly can she say? She can offer up excuses, but that’s not her. She never ran away from who she was, it’s a part of her, a big part in how she became who she is now, and a part she still has to fight to keep at bay at some points. She could offer explanations on how she became the Evil Queen, but they would all sound like she was relinquishing responsibility for her deeds, and she will not do that. In the end, even if she was manipulated into them, the decisions were still hers. She wanted revenge, she wanted power… She was the Evil Queen. That’s all she can offer right now, so she just leaves those words hanging in the air and waits for the reaction.

It’s astounding to her that instead of fear or anger, all she can read on the other woman’s face is compassion. “I am so sorry.”

“I tell you that I was the Evil Queen and your only reaction is to say you are sorry?”

The Princess startles her by taking her hand before responding. “Yes. You must have been so lonely. I remember when Regina, my Regina first showed up in our castle. She was so full of anger and hate, she could think of nothing but revenge. She was so hurt that she closed herself off completely. But I saw her. I saw the friend my mother missed and talked about when I was a kid, the kind, loving person hiding beneath all the rage. She just needed to be reminded of who she really was.”

She stares off into space for a moment. “Sometimes I wonder what would have happened to her if she managed to go through with her original plan. If I didn’t manage to get through to her. And I am so happy I will never have to find out.”

Her face is serious and completely focused on Regina’s when she continues. “So yes, I am sorry. I am sorry you didn’t have anybody who could see the good in you, who believed in you, somebody who’d fight to show you that you were better than that, that you were worth it.”

There is moisture in the corners of Regina’s eyes and no, she will not do this, this is not her, she will not let her emotions get the better of her, she will not let a perfect stranger and a few kind words break her down. She pulls her hand back, and puts on her best neutral face. “Well, thank you, I suppose.”

The Princess just shakes her head with a small smile, and Regina is getting truly annoyed by the fact that circumstances have made it so that this woman who shouldn’t really know her at all, knows her all too well. She turns her attention back to the ship effectively ending the conversation, and there are a few moments of silence before the Princess speaks again.

“She cares about you, you know. She didn’t mean to tell me, I think I pushed her too far and she just snapped.”

Regina sighs and answers, never taking her eyes of the ship. “It doesn’t matter, really.” She even almost believes it herself.

Before she has a chance to think about it any further, she notices both of the men they’ve been observing stop at the far side of the ship, engaged in a heated argument. “Look, now is our chance.”

She motions for the Princess to follow her and approaches the side of the vessel. “We need to make this quick, we can jump overt the rail here, but we’ll be completely in the open until we reach those barrels.”

The Princess nods in understanding, and after making sure the man have not moved from their positions they start moving. They try to stay as quiet as possible, and to Regina’s surprise they soon find themselves in their desired position without anybody noticing them.

“Do you know where Jones’s cabin is?”

Regina shakes her head. “Apart from its name, this is a completely different ship. However, we can assume that since he is the Captain, his quarters will be somewhere in the stern area.”

She starts moving slowly, the Princess right behind her, never taking her eyes from the two men still arguing. It’s a slow process, but finally they are at their desired spot, the marking on the door showing that they have found what they were looking for. Regina tries for the handle but curses under her breath when she realizes it’s locked.

“Allow me.”

She watches in amazement as the Princess pulls one of the pins from her hair and expertly manages to unlock the door in less than a minute. “How in the world does a princess learn how to do that?”

The blonde smiles and shrugs her shoulders. “Bae was a thief before we met. And I like to learn new things.”

The smell of stale rum hits them as soon as they enter the cabin, and Regina can’t help but roll her eyes at the complete disarray the place is in. If she didn’t know better, she’d have thought somebody was here before them and ransacked the place already.

At least the moon is bright enough to give them enough light to be able to see what they are doing, so with a resigned sigh she makes a decision. “I’ll take left side and the bed, you take the right. Make sure to touch every board in case there is a hidden compartment somewhere.”

It takes them a while to search every nook and cranny of his cabin, but in the end they come up emptyhanded. Regina growls in frustration, throwing the empty box she was holding on the bed. She was hoping this would be it, they’d get lucky and be one step closer to returning home, not be back to where they started from.

“Do you think he might have hidden them somewhere else on the boat?”

“No, he would not have risked somebody else finding them. If he has them, they’ll be on him.” Regina’s head drops in resignation. “Let’s head back to the tavern, we’ll have to figure out a new plan.”

The Princess nods, and they open the door carefully and start to leave, but just as they are about run for the cover of the barrels, Regina notices something. She pulls the Princess back sharply, earning her a muffled yelp and a surprised look.

“What?”

“Look.”

She points with her head and then both of them are focusing on four people just getting on board.

“That’s Jones. And he has Emma!”

Regina just nods, muttering under her breath. “Damn it, Emma, what did you get yourself into this time?”

They can hear Hook order his man to take the prisoner to the brig, and can see Emma being led away by two men before they realize that Hook is coming their way, forcing them to pull back and reenter his cabin. Thinking on her feet Regina grabs a heavy rum bottle from the table and motions for the Princess to be quiet while she positions herself next to the door.

There is a sound of a key, and the door is opening, and as she can hear a confused _I know I’ve locked that before I left_ she brings the bottle down with all the strength she can muster right on the pirate’s head. There is a very satisfying thump as he slumps down on the floor, unconscious.

Trying not to show just how good that really felt, Regina closes the door and turns to the Princess. “Search him.”

“Why me?”

“He is your boyfriend. Kind of.”

“He certainly is not. To be honest, I can’t understand what Emma sees in him.”

Regina just shakes her head. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

She pats him down, and can feel something on the side of his chest. She unbuttons his shirt to find a sown in pocket with a small brown pouch hidden there. Her heart races as she pulls it out, relief washing over her once she looks inside and can see at least a half a dozen magical beans nestled there.

“We got it!”

“Good, now what?”

“Now we go get Emma and make a run for it.”

It shouldn’t be so easy, Regina is thinking, but it seems so. The men are all drunk and either asleep or entirely too focused on their drinks to even notice them. Getting the one pirate guarding the door unconscious is not a problem, and soon they are unlocking the door and Regina is entering the dark room when a pair of hands grab her around the neck and slam her against the wall next to her.

She manages to squeak out a startled _Emma_ and the hands are gone immediately. “Regina, I’m so sorry, I thought it was one of them!”

“Yes, well, if this is the thank you I get for rescuing you, I’ll have to think about it twice next ti-“

She can’t finish the sentence because suddenly Emma is hugging her, and holding onto her like her life depends on it, and Regina is confused and a little bit scared to think about what might have brought this on. It only lasts for a few moments and Emma is pulling back, obviously embarrassed by her outburst, and she is busying herself by greeting the Princess and taking the sword the other woman removed off the incapacitated guard, and Regina just shakes her head and motions for both of them to move out. There’ll be time to discuss this later, right now they have to get out of here.

They make their way back the same way they came in, the Princess leading, Emma and Regina following. They are passing by Hook’s cabin again and Regina could swear she heard a noise, so she turns around just to make sure-

It’s a strange feeling, the feel of metal blade penetrating her side, foreign body slicing her own all the way through. It almost doesn’t hurt all that much. Or she is just in shock, which is the more likely reason. She is not afraid of dying, she never was. There were times when she looked at the possibility as some kind of an escape, a time she would have been relieved had it happened. But not right now. Now there’s Henry who loves her, and a possibility of a happy ending, and Emma, her friend and her enemy, her comfort and her distress, their relationship an enigma that still needs solving… She is not ready, and it’s kind of fitting in the big picture of her life that this is when it will happen. And, oh, how she hates that it is at the hands of that filthy pirate, of all people.

She hears her name being called from behind her, and can feel the sword withdraw, the sound itself making her sick. She is preparing for it, the final blow, but suddenly there is a panicked _No!_ and another sword coming down but not to stop Hook’s, it’s aiming higher, and she can see the pirate crumble down to the floor and let out a shriek as his hand rolls away from him, still clutching the sword.

The pain finally hits her full force, standing up is becoming too much and she is starting to fall down, but there are strong arms on her immediately, she is being picked up and carried inside the cabin. There is yelling from outside and Emma is telling the Princess to close and block the door, and she keeps whispering _please, please be okay_ … But she can’t keep her eyes open anymore. It’s all too much, and her strength is leaving her and she starts to drift off.

“No! Stay with me, Regina, stay with me, please. You can do this. Just, just think of Henry.”

There is such pleading in those words and she finds some strength in her and opens her eyes just a bit and can see Emma give her a tearful smile. “There you go, just hang in there.” She says it before her attention is on the Princess. “Get us out of here.”

“I can’t.”

She can feel Emma tremble. “What do you mean you can’t, you have to!”

“There’s a shield around the ship, it’s blocking my magic.”

Emma looks utterly lost, and Regina can’t have that. She can’t have her fall apart. She has to fight so that one of them can get back to Henry. She collects all the strength left in her and reaches up to put her hand gently on the blonde’s cheek. “Emma, I need you to focus on how to get you and the Princess out of this.” Her voice is raspy and she is having trouble recognizing it herself, but she pushes through. “This, this is okay for me, I don’t-“

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare tell me it’s okay you are going to die. I am not goin-“ There’s a pause and a long drawn in breath. “Henry is not going to lose you. I will get you out of here, alive.”

She’s shocked to see Emma’s eyes go dark, before there’s a strange crackling sound and white smoke starts gathering in the cabin.

“What is that?” She can hear wonder in the Princess’s voice.

“This shield is against the magic of this world, not ours. Hold onto me!”

“But…but you don’t have your ma-“

“Hold on to me, we don’t have time for this!”

Regina assumes that the Princess listens, because in the next moment the cabin is awash in white light and she can feel herself being pulled in a familiar way before they are no longer in the cabin of the Jolly Roger, but in the clearing where they left their horses.

“Okay, it’s okay, you’ll be fine, just a little bit longer, Regina.”

She can feel herself being lowered down on the ground gently, her head rested on Emma’s lap. “Heal her, please.”

The Princess doesn’t have to be asked twice, she is already kneeling next to Regina, magically removing her top to get access to the wound. There’s warmth coming from her side, and she relaxes into it. She can feel Emma’s hand gently brush a strand of hair of her cheek, murmuring encouraging words through it all. The pain finally lessens, and she tries to say thank you but she can’t last anymore, it’s finally too much and she simply lets the darkness take over.


	9. Chapter 9

_She is going to be okay. She is alive. She will wake up._ This has been Emma’s mantra for the past half an hour, from the moment Regina’s eyes closed and the Princess rushed to reassure her that that was just a reaction to the healing. She never moved from her position, Regina’s head resting on her thighs, her hand absently stroking the brunet’s hair.

It’s a bit hard to wrap her head around everything that transpired in a span of a few minutes. She cut off Hook’s hand. There should be some regret about that, horror at her action even if he isn’t the same man as her Hook – _and she can’t help but feel uncomfortable thinking of any version of Hook as hers anymore –_ but as she looks down at the woman resting in her lap, exhausted from the wound she suffered at his hands, the only thing she can muster is indifference. No, it’s what happened next that has her perplexed. She looks at her hands again as if they belong to somebody else. _What in the world was that?_ One moment she was holding Regina, begging her to stay alive, not to leave Henry – _not to leave her, but that thought gets pushed down as far as it will go right now –_ and the next moment there was this pressure in her chest, a beam trying to burst out, and without knowing how she had her magic. She could feel it come to the surface, nearly suffocating her in its intensity, urging her to use it, to do something she didn’t even know she could do. And somehow, she did. She tried to do it again, to no avail. Every technique Regina thought her in their lessons was tested, and every single one of them has failed. It’s frustrating to say the least, but she rains in her annoyance and refocuses on a sound coming from the side. She relaxes immediately when she realizes it was just one of the horses.

Still she turns to the Princes, whispering to make sure she doesn’t disturb Regina. “Are you sure we are safe here?”

“Yes, we are still under the spell which makes us invisible. And here I can use my magic if the need arises.”

Emma nods her head and looks back down at Regina. There is some color back in her cheeks, but her breathing still seems a little labored. „You are sure she is okay?”

“I am positive. She was extremely lucky that you were able to get us here, because otherwise…” She lets her words trail off. “It took a lot out of her. My magic can heal her, but she still has to recuperate, replenish the blood she lost.”

Emma shudders at the thought of what could have happened, deciding quickly to focus on something more productive. “Do you think it’ll be safe to spend the night here?”

“I’d prefer us to make as much distance to that vile man as possible, but there is no choice right now. She has to rest.”

Emma nods and takes off her cloak, folding it up and gently moving her legs to the side while placing it under Regina’s head. It is a warm night, and the Princess already materialized a shirt back on Regina after she was done, but she still needed to prepare better sleeping arrangements if they were to stay here over night. She takes the bedroll from Regina’s horse and places it on the ground, making sure there are no stones hidden under it.

“I am afraid I’d wake her if I were to move her. Do you think you could-“

She is not finished talking and the Princess is already waving her hand to gently move Regina together with her makeshift pillow to her new sleeping spot. Emma gives her a grateful smile before draping a blanket over the brunet. And suddenly she is just standing there, not sure what to do with herself. It was a lot, too much, and she needs to do something, anything to stop her mind from going places she doesn’t want it to go.

The Princess looks at her with compassion. “Emma, you need sleep as well. I will take the first guard shift.“

She is about to protest, but the Princess does not give her a chance. “You will be of no use to Regina or anybody if you are exhausted. She will not be at full strength when she wakes up, she will need your help. Please.”

And Emma realizes that she really is too tired, because she can’t even summon enough energy to find a proper counter argument to that. “Fine. But promise me you’ll wake me up in a couple of hours. You need some sleep as well.”

The Princess nods solemnly, and Emma seems satisfied with it. She puts her bedroll next to Regina’s, just in case…of what she is not sure, but she is not really ready to admit to herself that it’s as much for her own benefit as it is for Regina’s. She lays on her side facing the brunet, watching her chest go up and down, as if making sure once again that she is really alive. So focused on the rhythmic movement she barely notices when exhaustion catches up with her and she is fast asleep.

She wakes up not much later to a pair of brown eyes watching her intently. “It seems that you have justified your title after all, Savior.”

There is no usual bite to that word, Emma notices, just cautious wonder and something else, something she is having trouble deciphering. The air is heavy around them and Emma needs to deflect, needs to make this about something else but herself. “Well, I couldn’t return to Henry without his mother, the kid would have never forgiven me.”

There’s something akin to a challenge in Regina’s eyes, like she knows there’s more to it than that, but to Emma’s great relief she never verbalizes it. “In any case, thank you. For saving me, and for taking care of me. You seem to be doing a lot of that lately.”

Emma swallows hard and nods her head, desperately trying to think of a way to change the subject. Because, this? This makes her think, and reexamine, and that little voice in her head gets louder, and she can’t have that. Not now. Not here. Not when Regina is looking at her like she has never before, like she can see right through her, through her walls and all her defenses, right into her heart.

“Get some more sleep, you need it.” Before Regina has a chance to say anything she is already on her feet, making her way to her counterpart. “I’ll go get the Princess and take the guard duty.”

She can feel Regina’s eyes follow her, but she doesn’t turn around, the distance as necessary to her as the air. If she can only last until they get back home all of this will be behind them, whatever she is feeling will be a thing of the past easily overcome with usual normalcy. It has to be. Only this time even she can’t convince herself that that is true. She shakes her head as she motions to the Princess to go to sleep, resigned to if nothing else do her best and try.

Ride back is slower to spare Regina too much exertion, and Emma is happy that she can actually relax a bit while riding. It’s a good thing as well, since they decided to skip stopping for lunch and just ride until they reach the area from which the Queen’s spell will automatically bring then back to the castle. They are not that far off, maybe another half an hour of riding, when Emma feels something strange. It’s like crackling in the air, a shift in the atmosphere she feels deep down in her stomach. She turns to Regina and can see the same recognition in her eyes, but it’s too late. Before she can yell out a warning to the Princess all of them are enveloped in a magical force shield, not able to move or talk. Emma tries to do something, find her magic again, do anything, but nothing is happening no matter how hard she tries.

“No use in struggling, dearies, you’ll just end up hurting yourselves.” She knows that voice well, that patronizing, mocking drawl of Rumpelstiltskin. She can see him approaching from behind the trees, the beast of Belle’s story in the flesh. This is not Gold, though, there is no resemblance there. This is the Dark One in his full glory, something that makes Emma uneasy and not a little concerned.

He walks up to Regina, picking her up off her horse with magic. “A little one handed bird let me know I might find you here, Your Ma-” He suddenly stops, observing Regina closely. “Isn’t this interesting…you are not her, are you? I can see why the pirate would be mistaken, though.” He walks around Regina measuring her up, and all Emma wants to do is jump down and beat that smirk off his face, but she can’t move, her impotency at the situation making her want to scream.

“You don’t belong to this world, do you? No, neither you nor your partner over there.” He looks between Emma and Regina for a few moments, and then suddenly, as if getting bored with it he drops the older woman unceremoniously to the floor. “You have no magic, you are of no consequence to me.”

He turns to the Princess. “Well, this is disappointing.” Then there’s that cackle again, the sound which makes Emma’s skin crawl. “No matter, dearie, I always have a backup plan.” He pulls out a small vial from his pouch and dips his nail into it, making a grand performance of approaching the Princess and scraping across her face, leaving an angry bloodied trail in his wake. It takes only a few seconds before she is paling and slumping to the floor, shaking and breading hard. Free from her magical barrier she tries to use her magic to heal herself, but the imp just laughs.

“It will not work. It’s a good old run of the mill poison, resistant to magical interference.” He holds up a different vial. “This is the only thing that can help, an antidote. See, I found this in a different realm while I was trying to locate my son. Remember him, Princess? Your true love? Your soulmate?”

The Princess looks at him, and Emma is shocked to see compassion on her face as she addresses him, every word obviously taking some effort to get out. “I am sorry he left, I truly am. But I couldn’t lie to him. He would not have been happy with me, you wouldn’t want that for hi-”

“He loved you! He gave you his heart, his everything, and you left him. You broke my boy…” He is hovering over her, rage radiating off of him, the tension nearly unbearable. Suddenly, as quickly as he lost his temper he calms down, turning to Emma and Regina. “I don’t have time for this now. Go, let the Queen know that if she wants her love cured, she will have to come to me. And let her make her decision hastily. The Princess is strong, but she will not last more than a few days.” He looks them over once again as if to make sure they understood the stakes properly, and with a wave of his hand he is gone in a puff of yellow smoke.

They ride as fast as they can with the Princess barely holding herself up in the saddle, just making it across the border before they are pulled back to the castle. The frenzy they find themselves in as soon as they are transported makes Emma’s head spin. Guards are running, doctor is summoned, servants are rushing around, one almost knocking Emma over as she tries to run by with a water pitcher. She isn’t even sure how they find themselves in the couple’s bedchamber, a frantic Queen trying to get the whole story from them and a half conscious Princess. By the time they are done explaining, there is such rage in the Queen’s eyes that Emma feels like she is standing in front of the Evil Queen in all her glory. She isn’t sure what to expect, but she still takes a step to stand protectively in front of Regina, just in case the anger gets focused in the wrong direction. There is no need for it, though. The Princess has lifted her hand to grasp the Queens, and as soon as they touch the Queen’s face loses its anger, and refocuses on the Princess with sadness.

“I am here, love, it’s okay. I am so sorry. I should have never let you go-“

The Princess smiles, her words slow, but clear. “Are you still delusional in thinking you had a choice?” She squeezes the Queens hand before continuing. “Can you heal me? I know he said it’s impossible, but I really don’t want to take his word for it.”

The Queen nods and concentrates, all of her attention firmly on the Princess, her hands hovering over her body. It lasts for a few minutes before she finally lets out a frustrated sigh. “It’s not working. What I have done is slow it down by strengthening you, your organism, but it’s still there, progressing.” There is a catch in her voice before she continues, obviously struggling not to let emotions overtake her. “I don’t know what it is, I have never seen-“

“Ssssh, it’s okay. You will find a way, I know you will.” The Princess is smiling at her, her face full of confidence.

The Queen looks at her for a few moments before she makes a decision. “I will leave right now. I will find the imp and-“

“No!” The Princess does not let her finish, surprising everybody with the vehemence of her words. “Please, not like that. That’s what he wants. He will kill you the moment you show up.”

“I am not that easy to kill, love,” she says, an unsettling note in her words. “But even if so, if it will save you, it is worth it.”

“No, you don’t get to decide that. There has got to be some other way.”

“It’s my life, and I will decide to trade it for yours. Always.”

Visibly upset now, the Princess tries to sit up. “Please, Regina. What do you think my life will be like without you? Leave today, but go to my mother. The dwarves are our best option right now, and I am sure she will come around when you tell her the reason.”

The Queen’s face goes dark at the mention of Snow White. “She will tell me that she was right all along. And this time I will agree.”

“Don’t you dare!” It takes a lot out of her, but now the Princess is sitting up, holding both of the Queen’s hands in hers. ”I love you, and I will not have you call us a mistake, nor have you accept blame for anything that might happen to me. You gave me some time, I need you to try and use that time to find a solution which does not include you getting killed.” She point’s her head towards Emma and Regina as she continues. “They can pretend to be us while you are searching for the solution. Nobody will know the kingdom is vulnerable.”

“I don’t care about the kingdom!”

The Princess smiles tiredly. “That’s not true, and you know it, love. This is our best option. If the dwarves and their dust can’t find something for it, they might help you find out which world this came from. We have the beans, we have the means. I just need you to trust me that this is the best option.” Regina’s eyes finally light up at the mention of the beans, hope suddenly arising in her. “You will find a way. I believe in you. You saved me before, you will save me again.”

Tears run down the Queen’s face as she bends down and presses her lips gently to the Princess’s. “We’ll do it your way. I just need you to promise me you will fight and stay alive until I come back. I can’t lose you. I ca-“

Her words are interrupted by the Princess’s lips leaving gentle kisses of promise all over her face. “I love you, and I will be here when you get back.” The Queen sighs and without looking at anybody else she walks out to get ready. As she leaves Emma and Regina exchange a look, an uneasy feeling griping both women, the uncertainty of both their and their counterparts’ situation settling heavily on their chests.

Sleep is elusive that night, Emma’s mind busy going over the events of the day, trying to discern how exactly things went from bad to worst in such a short time span. There is a light knock at her door, and for a moment she is afraid something might have happened to the Princess, but as she calls an _enter_ and sits up, it’s Regina who walks in.

“I am sorry if I woke you.” She is twisting a handkerchief in her hands and Emma hurts at how lost she looks.

“It’s okay, I couldn’t sleep anyhow. Is everything okay?”

Regina takes a few steps forward and hesitantly sits on the corner of Emma’s bed. “No.” She angles her body so that she can look Emma in the eyes. “I did this. My…the Queen had her happy ending. She was not a villain of her story like I am of mine, she resisted our darkness.” There is anguish in her eyes as she speaks, her voice trembling under the onslaught of guilt. “She made it, against all odds. And I showed up and took it away from her.”

“This is not your fault, Regina.” Emma wishes she was better at this, wishes she was more like Snow with her speeches and less like her usual _let’s solve the issue with shots_ self who doesn’t know what to say most of the time, but all she can do is try. “It’s Rumpelstiltskin’s doing. He would have found a way to do something whether we were here or not. You know him, you know this is true.” Regina does not seem convinced, so Emma pushes on. “We know him better than they do. If anything, we might be able to help. You are not responsible for her, and the fact that you are feeling guilty over it is a pretty sure indicator that you are not the villain of your story, either. You might have been it at some point but you fought against it, Regina, and you won. You have been a hero for a while now. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to accept it.” She thinks she notices Regina’s shoulders relax just a bit, so she pulls out her trump card. “Plus, I thought that we have agreed it was my fault, my stupid idea that got us stuck here, so if somebody is to blame…”

She is happy when corners of Regina’s mouth arch up a bit at that, her face losing some of the tension, before the brunet stands up. “I better leave, you need to get some sleep.”

She seems unsure, hesitates just for a moment, and Emma makes a decision. “Actually, I was having trouble sleeping before you came in. I am missing Henry, and my parents, and…well, home. I could use some company. It’s a big bed, and I promise to stay on my side.”

Regina considers her for a moment and Emma holds her breath thinking if this was too much, if she misread and overstepped and is now expecting the brunet to just turn around and walk out … but she doesn’t. With a nod and what for a moment looks like gratitude to Emma she lifts one side of the blanket and lies down, making sure to stay as far to the side of the bed as possible.

Emma mutters a _thank you_ and then there is silence. And if she thought not thinking about things before was hard, doing it with Regina lying in bed next to her makes it nearly impossible. The silence suddenly seems heavy to her, and to break it she says the first thing that comes to her mind. “Did you ever think about it? How it would be if the two of us…you know?” And she promptly wants to kick herself because _really, Emma, really?!_

Regina turns her head towards her, looking at her with curiosity. “Got together instead of trying to kill each other?”

Emma lets out a breath, happy that Regina doesn’t seem disturbed by the question, and just nods her head in affirmative.

“No, not really. You?”

She could lie. She could say no and leave it at that. But she is the one who started this line of conversation and it seems that her honesty would be the least she could offer. “Not until we got here, to this world.”

Regina observes her for a moment before her eyes are on the ceiling again as she is contemplating the idea. “It certainly would have made things easier, less complicated.”

There is no tension between them anymore, and Emma relaxes into the conversation. “Henry would have been behind it.” She smiles. “He would have figured out that that’s the way I was going to save you. Make you fall in love with me, thaw your frozen heart, or whatever the fairytale trope is.”

Regina chuckles, her eyes back on Emma. “Or he would have thought I seduced you with my dark magical powers, probably would have sabotaged us in every step.”

Emma shakes her head in amusement. “That kid believes love wins over anything else too much for that. He’d have been my wingman, I am certain of it.” She is thoughtful for a moment. “Even Rumple would have been behind it. He only wanted the curse broken, and we would have done it with true love’s kiss…”

There’s a wholehearted laugh from Regina at that, and Emma can feel warmth grip her heart at the sound. “You know, now that I think about it that could have been my perfect revenge! Can you imagine Snow White waking up from the curse to find that I have seduced her daughter?” Her eyes are glistening with mischief as she pretends to smacks herself on the head. “Why didn’t I think of this before?”

“Hey! I thought you made up with my mom, no more torturing her.”

“I just had my curse broken, you have to let me get some fun out of it! Plus, you would have left me as soon as you found out who I was, so it would hardly be a long lasting victory,” she points out giving Emma a mock glare.

And it’s all joking and fun, but suddenly, suddenly Emma does not feel like joking anymore. Because this hits too close to home, for both of them, and she wants to make sure Regina knows it. “I wouldn’t have.”

Surprised at the sudden change in tone, Regina focuses on Emma. “Excuse me?”

“I was left so many times, so easily by so many people who I needed the most at the time. I would not have done it to you. I’d have been confused, angry, furious even. It would have taken time to take it all in. But I would not have left you.”

Regina stiffens at her words, her eyes focusing once again on the ceiling. “You can’t know that.”

“I can.” Emma believes this with all her being, and she hopes Regina can accept it. Yes, running has been her modus operandi for a long time, but for some reason she simply knows, without a sliver of doubt that she is right on this.

“Look, we could go all night with this amusing hypothetical, but I think we both need to get some sleep.” With that Regina turns to her side away from Emma, effectively ending the conversation. “Goodnight, Emma.”

Seeing no use in continuing, Emma lets out a disappointed breath and replies “Goodnight, Regina.”

She is still looking at Regina’s back, feeling guilty that the tension is back due to her own big mouth, and wondering why she feels such a need to get closer to the other woman, to offer her some kind of comfort. Her hand starts moving towards Regina as if on its own volition, and she pulls it back at the last moment without disturbing the brunet. She looks at her hand as if it had betrayed her, and makes sure to turn on her other side, facing the wall. By the time she finally drifts off to sleep there is no more denying of what is happening to her, one final thought popping up in her mind. _I am in so much trouble._


End file.
